A career fair organized by the Department of Homeland Security, which was slated to take place Sept. 1 and 2 at the Buffalo Convention Center, was canceled after some local officials cited potential safety concerns.
The DHS-wide expo was expected to recruit for positions ranging from immigration enforcement and law enforcement to cybersecurity, finance, human resources, intelligence, legal services and transportation security.
But Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz urged the convention center to cancel the event over concerns about ICE recruitment and potential protests. BTPM News could not reach Poloncarz, as he is currently out of town, but he released the following statement:
“Late yesterday afternoon, I was surprised and deeply troubled to learn that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) had scheduled a career expo at the Buffalo Convention Center for September 1-2 that includes the recruitment of federal immigration enforcement personnel, among other agencies.
While the County of Erie owns the Buffalo Convention Center building, the county does not manage daily operations or event booking. Decades ago, the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center Management Corporation (“BNCCMC”) was created to manage the facility, including contracting bookings for all events.
BNCCMC entered into the contract with DHS. As stated, I was not made aware of this event until late yesterday, and I have since learned members of the BNCCMC board were not made aware of it until yesterday, as well.
Erie County has a long and proud history of welcoming immigrants and refugees from around the world. They are our neighbors, coworkers, small business owners and friends, and they have made our community stronger. The Buffalo Convention Center is a publicly owned community asset, and I do not believe it should be used to support recruitment efforts that are inconsistent with the values we have repeatedly expressed as a welcoming community.
I am also concerned that holding this event could result in significant protests and civil unrest, as has happened elsewhere, requiring an increased law enforcement presence without the benefit of a coordinated response plan between city and county officials.
For that reason, I strongly encouraged BNCCMC leadership to cancel the contract and inform DHS that the Buffalo Convention Center will not serve as the host site for this event and that is exactly what has occurred.”
Patrick Kaler, president and CEO of the Convention Center and Visit Buffalo Niagara, said management also raised concerns about protesters and counterprotesters, and asked DHS to hold the expo without ICE before ultimately canceling it.
Kaler could not be reached for an interview, but he also released a written statement:
“Due to a number of concerns, including the safety and security of the Buffalo Convention Center workforce and the general public as well as the anticipated presence of protesters and counterprotesters, we have made the decision to cancel the Department of Homeland Security’s Career Expo next week at the Buffalo Convention Center.
We made a request of the Department of Homeland Security to move forward with an event that did not include Immigration and Customs Enforcement. When it became clear that was not possible, we made the decision to cancel as we feel it’s in the best interests of our community at this time.”
The cancellation has drawn criticism from some local political leaders.
Erie County 10th District Legislator Lindsay Lorigo said Poloncarz inappropriately used his authority and political views to influence the decision, which she argued is now costing local vendors and people seeking career opportunities.
“There's money already spent, and there are people set up in the convention center that are now concerned," she said. "They have no idea how they're going to pay for the work that has already been done. They have no idea how they're going to pay their employees when this just got canceled. It was a complete and total overreach of the county executive, and it was irresponsible.”
Lorigo said she believes the expo should have been allowed to move forward with security coordination between DHS and local law enforcement. She said concerns about protesters and counterprotesters were overblown, arguing protests are routinely managed locally. She pointed to the March 28 “No Kings” rally in Niagara Square, where she noted Poloncarz spoke, as an example. She added that DHS also has experience coordinating security around similar events.
“I don't know why Mark Poloncarz can go stand in Niagara Square and say that protests are okay there, but we can't handle them at the convention center," she said. "I think he has blown this out of proportion, and it's something that we should have been working with local law enforcement."
Lorigo said she does not yet know what action could follow but plans to examine how the publicly owned, privately managed Convention Center operates.
“I think we probably should put some measures into place to make sure that we don’t have political influence over that public space, or that publicly owned space," she said.
