Taco Cid in West Columbia, South Carolina, is getting some attention this week after a Free Times reporter noticed that employees are made to wear a rather racially charged uniform.

The shirt worn by workers at the Mexican restaurant depicts a cartoonish animal trap with tacos as bait underneath the words "how to catch an illegal immigrant."

As the Palmetto Public Record notes, "if the shirt's meaning isn't clear enough, the letters are colored with the red, white and green of the Mexican flag."

On its website, Taco Cid claims its uniform is "a witty and comical statement regarding ILLEGAL immigrants," and contains "NO racial nor hate remarks towards any specific ethnic group."

The eatery insists that will serve all patrons irrespective of "race, religion or political views." However, it offers no apology for its opinion on the matter of undocumented immigration:

As most tax paying Americans, we do believe ILLEGAL immigrants are taxing the system we support and live under, thereby, causing us to work harder and pay more taxes in support of their illegal activities which our government has simply chosen to look the other way. Is it racist to disagree with those who are not supporting the American system?

Taco Cid was once a chain with some four locations across South Carolina, but has since shuttered all but one of its establishments.

[H/T: MSN Now, photo via @CoreyHutchins]