The Department of Homeland Security is holding a local job fair Tuesday and Wednesday, but several community members have taken the event as an opportunity to protest ICE and DHS activities.
Western New York Peace Center Executive Director Stephanie Mejia understands the financial allure of joining ICE but believes there are better alternatives.
“Times are really rough right now, and the only thing they know is like, ‘oh, I need that for my family.’ Well, let's find other ways for you to find jobs. There (are) civil service jobs available," she said. "There's other places in the community available. Check out, you know, the Peace Center and other places of how you can get involved in a community.”
Employees can receive up to a $50,000 signing bonus when joining ICE but are required to pay it back if they leave before finishing the five-year service requirement.
The job fair was originally planned for Buffalo Convention Center but canceled by Visit Buffalo and convention center CEO Patrick Kaler due to “safety and security” concerns. It was moved to the Coast Guard station on Fuhrman Boulevard, with protesters about a quarter mile down the road.
In a joint statement with Kaler, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz wrote that, "The Buffalo Convention Center is a publicly owned 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.
Response from social media members was varied, with many criticizing the decision. One user claimed it would, "keep NY residents from getting jobs." Others praised ICE and said the agency should be "always welcome."
WNYPC's protest focus was calling for no more ICE agents, but did not relate to any other agencies that might be at the expo, Mejia said.
“You're just hiring people who are so unprofessional and unsafe for the community. They're not even vetting them appropriately, and then they're increasing more tools to even hurt people," she said. "So, why are we going to give people who are not emotionally balanced in any shape or form, arms?”
ICE recently awarded a contract for more than $15 million to purchase 6,000 pairs of gloves that deliver an electric charge.
