Recruiters for agencies under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security attended a Salt Lake Community College job fair on Feb. 17. With immigration raids and arrests on the rise, many students felt it was an inappropriate and tone-deaf choice to allow this kind of recruitment on our campus, sparking a campuswide conversation about whether agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement belong at student-centered career events.
SLCC should prioritize student safety, an inclusive environment and equitable values when choosing which employers to platform.
ICE is not a neutral employer
According to a recent poll by PBS/NPR, two-thirds of Americans believe ICE has gone too far in its crackdown on immigration. Over the past few weeks, we have seen dramatic mass arrests, public killings of American citizens by ICE agents, and even the detention of a five-year-old boy.
Nearly three-quarters of ICE detainees have no criminal record and are kept in squalid conditions in detention centers while experiencing physical abuse at the hands of officers. In 2025, over 30 people died in ICE custody.
Whether one supports or opposes immigration enforcement broadly, ICE is not a neutral employer in today’s political climate.
SLCC’s Hispanic and immigrant community
Hispanic students make up more than 25% of the student body and are the fastest-growing demographic on campus, having increased 126% since 2005. In 2022, SLCC began actively pursuing the federal designation of a Hispanic-Serving Institution which would bring in federal funding to improve academic programs and support services for diverse student populations. Inviting an organization that many see as hostile and a threat to Hispanic students’ safety seems in direct opposition to the support SLCC claims to want to provide for its students.
Utah’s mixed-status families
Families with mixed immigration statuses are common in the state. Approximately 41,500 U.S.-citizen children in Utah live with at least one undocumented parent. An SLCC student, who is documented, could still feel unsafe on a campus that hosts DHS at student events. How do we, as SLCC community members, expect those at risk or with family members at risk, to continue their education in such conditions? Seeing Customs and Border Patrol recruiters in a school-sponsored space can feel threatening to vulnerable students.
A job fair should feel like a space of opportunity, not anxiety.
SLCC’s stated values vs. its actions
SLCC’s values of collaboration, community, inclusivity, learning, innovation, integrity, and trust were not reflected by the choice to invite DHS to the job fair. This choice undermines institutional trust for many students. SLCC even went as far as to actively decide not to make an announcement about CBP’s presence at the event.
This signifies a lack of care for students in vulnerable situations and goes against SLCC’s stated values.
Students deserve career opportunities without fear
Could students simply choose not to approach the DHS recruiters at the career fair? Sure.
But institutional endorsement by SLCC still signals approval. DHS includes agencies whose work directly harms many students’ families. SLCC students should be presented with career options that lift us up — not divide us. Students deserve to explore career opportunities without fear. SLCC should consider the impact of its invitations.
