Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch’s wife in Alabama has taken full responsibility for a controversial and provocative display at their home. Their Halloween decorations have sparked public outrage.
Viral images of the sheriff’s front yard have surfaced online, showing skeletons dressed as ICE agents. The decor appears to chase skeletons wearing stereotypical Hispanic attire, which includes sombreros and serapes, who are seen jumping around a fence. The Halloween display quickly gained attention on social media. One of their neighbors, Whitney Newman, shared the images on her Facebook Page.
Newman, in her post, expressed deep concern over the decorations, considering the sheriff’s role as an elected law enforcement official. “It’s hard to put into words how disappointing it is to see our elected sheriff use his own front yard to mock and dehumanize a group of people,” she wrote. “I don’t think it’s cute or funny. And coming from a law enforcement official makes it exponentially worse. This crosses a line from tasteless joke into a public statement about who deserves dignity.”
ICE-themed Halloween display in Alabama sheriff’s front yard stirs controversy — but his wife claims it was all her idea https://t.co/K0HmjkZgCk pic.twitter.com/KCCKoaBHNm
— New York Post (@nypost) October 8, 2025
Many social media users commented on Newman’s post, calling the display “blatant bigotry,” “disgusting,” and “deplorable.” She expressed that citizens deserve better from their leaders. She referred to an old quote from the sheriff’s social media page stating, “All citizens of Mobile County deserve to live in a safe community, without fear. At the MCSO, we will work tirelessly towards this goal.”
Michelle Alfonso Burch, the sheriff’s wife, who has Cuban heritage, provided her clarification. She claimed that she created the display only as an act of fun that was meant to be “tongue-in-cheek.” In a statement to WKRG5, she said, “Every year, I make tongue-in-cheek Halloween decorations with a topical theme at my home. My husband has nothing to do with these, other than mowing the grass around them.”
Michelle Burch explained that her decorations often touch on current events. “I made this one, playing both on my Cuban background and the new, needed changes in federal immigration enforcement. My parents were legal immigrants, and I have plenty of immigrants throughout my family. I’ll make a new one shortly—we have no shortage of topics to cover,” she said.
Unfortunately, the controversy comes just a few days before the annual Mobile Latin Fest. The fest celebrates the growing and emerging Latin population in the area. While the decorations were clearly visible in public, Sheriff Burch has not directly commented on them.
However, he noted in a separate statement that his deputies were not planning any ICE operations targeting festival attendees. “They are targeting individuals with criminal backgrounds,” he said.
Michelle Burch has now promised that she will replace the controversial Halloween decoration with something new. She has also acknowledged the public sensitivity around the issue. Even though her intent was humor, the strong public reaction reflects the ongoing concerns in the community. There are also concerns about how immigration enforcement and cultural representation are handled in public spaces.
This incident highlights how important it is for public figures and their families to maintain their personal expression. It also shows that it is required for public figures to take public responsibility when they live in a visible position of power.
