Etsy Shop Plays Both Sides of Political Fence With Alligator Alcatraz

If there's one thing we love in this country, it's a one-stop shop. Case in point: Walmart offers car servicing, pharmacies, eye doctors, barbers, and almost any household item you need.

And while we're desensitized to the absurdity of condoms displayed mere aisles away from Pokémon cards, watching salespeople hawk merchandise representing diametrically opposing viewpoints on matters like human rights can still be jarring. Etsy merchant DigisarahArt's online shop should come with a whiplash warning, with several cartoonish pro-Alligator Alcatraz prints on sale right above one with a "Stewart & Colbert 2028" shirt, depicting famous liberal talk show hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert as presidential candidates.   In late June, Colbert made his thoughts on Alligator Alcatraz clear during his opening monologue on The Late Show, saying "ICE is constantly devising terrible new ways to treat immigrants." 

Alligator Alcatraz "sounds like the name of a game on sale for 99 cents in the Nintendo eShop. Keep in mind, the actual Alcatraz was a notorious prison surrounded by treacherous, shark-infested waters to contain America's most dangerous criminals. Alligator Alcatraz is just to hold regular folks with uncertain immigration status that ICE has been sweeping off the streets and stuffing into unmarked vans."

Many believe Colbert's sharp criticism of President Donald Trump on issues like Alligator Alcatraz led executives at CBS and parent company Paramount to cancel the late-night talk show, which first aired in 1993 with David Letterman. CBS and Paramount executives told the Associated Press (AP) the cancellation was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night."

Colbert and other critics, however, have suggested the cancellation is related to Paramount's pending sale to Skydance Media, a deal hinging on Trump's approval, according to the AP.

DigisarahArt's merch includes print scans for T-shirts with apparent AI depictions of alligators — one wearing a red hat with the words "Make Alligators Great Again" around it, and another with an alligator in immigration enforcement gear. Colbert and Stewart, two of the most famous liberal talking heads nationwide, feature just below the Alligator Alcatraz merch. Another shirt print on the same page features former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, another famous Democrat.

The shop is one of several on Etsy selling Alligator Alcatraz merch following the detention center's opening earlier this month. The Etsy retailers follow closely behind the GOP, which began selling Alligator Alcatraz merch before the facility's opening.

In doing so, Etsy sellers have spurred calls for boycotts, media brand Fast Company reported. Many argue that the sales are in direct violation of Etsy's discrimination and hateful content policy.

"Etsy connects thoughtful consumers around the world with creative entrepreneurs," the policy states. "It’s an ecosystem where people of all backgrounds inspire each other and build relationships through making, selling, and buying unique goods. We want everyone on Etsy to feel safe, and our priority is fostering an inclusive environment."

Etsy prohibits using its services to discriminate against people based on race, color, ethnicity, or national origin.

Neither Etsy nor DigisarahArt returned New Times' requests for comment by the time of publication.
Shirt peddlers appear to be trivializing what some call a "humanitarian crisis" by selling Alligator Alcatraz-themed clothing that could pass as college football T-shirts and iron-on patches. Some of the wildest shirts include a jacked Donald Trump riding a gator in front of the Golden Gate Bridge and the original Alcatraz, a fully Disney-fied cartoon alligator wearing a red MAGA hat, and various muscular gators in police garb.