A ring tone offered for sale online that makes fun of illegal Hispanic immigrants has been pulled from the Cingular Wireless Web site.
Brent Wilkes, national executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, told the Brownville (Texas) Herald as soon as he heard it on Tuesday, he called AT&T, part owner of Cingular, and demanded an explanation.
In the ring tone entitled "La Migra," a siren is heard, followed by a male voice that says in a southern accent: "Calmate, calmate, this is la migra. Por favor, put the oranges down and step away from the cell phone. I repeat-o, put the oranges down and step away from the telephone-o. I'm deporting you back home-o."
Cingular officials seemed to be caught off guard by their Web site's content, the newspaper said.
Company spokesman Mark Siegel was nearly speechless after listening to the $2.49 ring tone.
Siegel said the company is reviewing its process of screening ring tones, which he said are created by a combination of in-house and contracted staff.
© Copyright 2006 by United Press International
