Immigration Chief Covered Up Racist Pics, Dems Say

The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement tried to hide pictures of her giving an award to an employee in a racially insensitive Halloween costume, House Democrats say. Julie Myers was photographed smiling and standing next to an employee in prison garb and wearing blackface, whom she awarded the night's "most original costume" prize, the Los Angeles Times reports.

"There was a deliberate attempt to cover up the fact that pictures were taken but ordered destroyed," one lawmaker said. Myers' agency is part of the Department of Homeland Security, which has been criticized for its lack of diversity. Myers' confirmation had also been blasted as cronyism, since she has little experience but several family connections with the administration. (More Julie Myers stories.)