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…