Mississippi state Rep. Steve Holland says he wasn’t actually trying to re-name the Gulf of Mexico with the bill he introduced in the Legislature.

Holland told the Hattiesburg American he was trying to make a point about strict immigration laws adopted by Alabama and other states, laws which newly-elected Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant supports.

Holland, a Democrat, has been in the Mississippi Legislature since 1984. His web site lists his occupation as farmer and funeral home owner.

Regardless of Holland’s intentions, the news of the story has already created a stir across the internet.