Cingular Says Pulled Ringtone Was Satire (AP)

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - The company that developed the lyrics for a ringtone about deportation apologized Thursday after Cingular Wireless LLC pulled it for being offensive.

Barrio Mobile said the ringtone "La Migra" — a slang term for Border Patrol agent — was satire and shouldn't be taken seriously.

Mexican-American comic Paul Saucido wrote the ringtone that features a male voice, acting as a Border Patrol agent with a Southern drawl, saying, "I repeat-o, put the oranges down and step away from the telephone-o. I'm deporting you back home-o."

"His position is that people of Hispanic background need to maintain a sense of humor about the immigration situation," said Jonathan Dworkin, a vice president of Cellfish Media, which distributed the ringtone.

Cingular pulled the ringtone from its Web site Tuesday.

Barrio Mobile and Cellfish Media are owned by Lagardere Active North American, the U.S. division of a French media company.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/