On October 7, 2025, a Halloween yard display at the home of Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch set off a predictable wave of outrage from the usual suspects. The scene — skeletons labeled as ICE agents chasing other skeletons in sombreros and ponchos — was put up by Michelle Burch, the sheriff’s wife, who says she meant it as tongue-in-cheek commentary and a topical nod to federal immigration enforcement. Leftist activists and opportunistic local media immediately labeled the decoration “racist” and demanded public apologies, proving once again that intent no longer matters in our culture of instant moral grandstanding.
Let’s be blunt: Americans who believe in the rule of law should be allowed to support sensible immigration enforcement without being smeared as bigots. Sheriff Burch’s office had nothing to do with the display beyond a husband mowing the lawn, and yet the sheriff is now forced to answer for his wife’s private, largely humorous decoration. If law-and-order families aren’t permitted to express pride in enforcement efforts, then free expression and common sense are the next casualties.
This episode also exposes the double standard of outrage politics. When radicals and entertainers mock law enforcement, it’s dismissed as satire; when a wife of a sheriff makes a topical Halloween scene, it’s painted as a threat to community harmony. Conservatives should call out this hypocrisy loudly — defending public servants and supporting lawful immigration are not mutually exclusive, and neither should be criminalized by a vocal minority trying to police speech.
To those in the Hispanic community who felt hurt, a word of honesty: legitimate concerns deserve respect, but fear should not be exploited for political points. Michelle Burch noted her Cuban heritage and that her parents immigrated legally, and she pledged to replace the display — a reasonable compromise that shows she understands sensitivities while refusing to bow entirely to outrage. That measured response ought to be lauded, not twisted into an indictment of an entire community or law enforcement.
Meanwhile, officials and activists who rushed to condemn without context should answer for stoking division instead of calming it. The focus in Mobile should be on public safety and community cohesion, not weaponizing Halloween props for headline-grabbing virtue signaling. If we truly care about immigrant families and safety, we support legal paths and law enforcement that protect all citizens, rather than tearing down those who enforce the law.
At a time when our country needs unity and common sense, let this be a reminder: culture warriors will always manufacture controversies, but patriots will keep standing for law, order, and the right to speak. Sheriff Burch’s family got an uncomfortable spotlight — unfair, yes, but also instructive: don’t cede the public square to the shrill and intolerant. We should defend the right of everyday Americans to celebrate holidays in their own homes without being summarily canceled by activists on demand.
