The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition on Monday came out against what they called an “inflammatory” and “crude” picture promoted by 630-AM KHOW talk show host Peter Boyles.
The picture, according to Boyles, represents American Constitution Party gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo as an illegal alien. The picture is of an overweight man with his shirt off. Tancredo’s head is pasted on the body.
Speaking on his morning drive-time show, Boyles said that the picture was made by “our guy Phoenix Pilot” in response to Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes, who last week said Tancredo was the illegal immigrant in the governor’s race.
“We have the picture of Tom Tancredo as an illegal alien,” Boyles told his audience.
“Remember, Maes called him an illegal alien, so our guy Phoenix Pilot morphed Tancredo into an illegal, and it is funny and we are getting a lot of heat for it.”
Alan Kaplan, director of communications and civic engagement for the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, told the Colorado Independent that circulating such pictures only fuels the fires of a “brutish atmosphere” concerning immigration issues.
“We consider the picture to be purposefully inflammatory and crude and feel that it offends not only immigrants and Mr. Tancredo, but diminishes whoever made it. However, it does not come as a surprise to us that pictures like this would be circulated given the nasty and brutish atmosphere created by some candidates and media outlets when it comes to immigration issues.”
Maes, on the Caplis and Silverman Show said on Sept. 23 that Tancredo used a back door to get into the governor’s race in a similar fashion that’s used by illegal immigrants.
“You know, I went through the system,” Maes said. “We’ve got an illegal immigrant in the system right now. And it’s a minor party candidate who didn’t go through the system. And he went in the side door at the last minute. Now he’s trying to take a job away from someone who earned it.”
Kaplan also had this to say: “We hope that all the office seekers stop using hateful and polarizing rhetoric to attract votes and start talking about real solutions, like the federal comprehensive reform exemplified by the CIR bill introduced by Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey.”
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