(The Center Square) – A Democratic county executive in upstate New York is facing a backlash for his decision to cancel a Department of Homeland Security job fair over ICE’s participation in the event.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced last week that the two-day Department of Homeland Security career expo at the Buffalo Convention Center, which was set to begin on Tuesday, was canceled due to concerns about recruitment by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the possibility of protests outside the event.
“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,” Poloncarz said in a joint statement with convention center CEO Patrick Kaler.
Poloncarz said he was “surprised and deeply troubled” by ICE’s involvement in the job expo and suggested it could draw “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.”
“We made a request of the Department of Homeland Security to move forward with an event that did not include Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” they said. “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.”
But the move drew a backlash from Republicans, who pointed out that the expo was meant to offer more jobs in a region of New York that has traditionally struggled economically.
The Erie County Republican Committee blasted Poloncarz for canceling the job fair, saying in a statement that it “could have put Western New Yorkers back to work. In a region where the job market is stuck, killing opportunity isn’t leadership – it’s stupidity.”
Republican Erie County Legislator Lindsay Lorigo accused Poloncarz of overstepping his authority by canceling the DHS job expo
“The County Executive is entitled to his views on federal immigration policy,” she said in a statement. “However, it is not the role of the County Executive to determine which lawful employers Western New Yorkers should have the opportunity to meet or where our residents should seek employment.”
Loringo said she was in conversations with DHS about a new location for the job fair and posted on social media Monday that it has been relocated to the U.S. Coast Guard Sector in Buffalo.
“A career expo is an opportunity for individuals to learn about jobs and make their own decisions about whether a particular career is right for them,” she said. “Those decisions should belong to the individual, not the government.”
In a statement, a DHS spokesperson defended ICE’s enforcement actions and suggested that Poloncarz’s decision to cancel the event was politically motivated.
“Our agents are focused on protecting the American people – not entertaining performative outrage,” the DHS statement said. “Where is the outrage for Angel families who lost a loved one to illegal alien crime?”
“To most Americans, our brave ICE law enforcement are heroes. Eighty percent of Americans support arresting and deporting criminal illegal aliens from American neighborhoods,” the statement added. “As our brave law enforcement arrests and removes dangerous criminal illegal aliens from our communities, America can be proud of the professionalism our officers bring to the job day-in and day-out.”
