UVU students protest immigration crackdown, presence of border protection reps at job fair

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Foes of the immigration crackdown protested the Customs and Border Protection presence at a Utah Valley University job fair.
Demonstrators criticized what they view as the aggressive tactics of immigration agents and family separations that have resulted from deportations.
Agency reps have taken part in prior UVU job fairs and university officials defended the event as an opportunity for students.

OREM — Job recruitment by federal immigration authorities is the latest flashpoint in the debate over the ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration.

Utah Valley University students on Wednesday demonstrated outside a job recruitment fair hosted by the university because representatives from U.S. Customs and Border Protection were on hand seeking would-be employees. The agency is to have representatives at a job fair on Thursday at Brigham Young University in Provo, also the focus of the planned demonstration.

"I cannot just sit and watch what's happening. I cannot just be complacent, especially with all the new stuff coming out," said UVU student Loa Lee, one of many demonstrators seated outside the Grand Ballroom at Sorensen Student Center, where Wednesday's job fair and protest took place. Referencing the killings of two protestors by immigration agents last month in Minneapolis, she charged that the officials are too aggressive and "terrorizing civilians who are just trying to peacefully protest."

Mackenzie Hillman, also a student, said many in the immigrant community, directly affected by the crackdown, are too afraid to protest, which prompted her to attend. "They're separating families, and to me, family is the most important thing," she said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, tasked with enforcing U.S. immigration law, has become the principal target of foes of the immigration crackdown pushed by the administration of President Donald Trump. The agency didn't have reps at Wednesday's job fair and won't be represented at Thursday's BYU event, either. Customs and Border Protection officials, though, have aided in detaining immigrants in the country illegally and were the target Wednesday of the protestors' ire.

Community member Amanda Groves yells “Shame on UVU!” as UVU students participate in a sit-in against Department of Homeland Security recruitment at a job fair across from the Sorensen Center Grand Ballroom in Orem on Wednesday. (Photo: Tess Crowley, Deseret News)

"Border Patrol shouldn't even be here. This isn't the border," said Rebekah Surtees, another UVU demonstrator. The agents involved in pursuing immigrants "don't have enough training. They're just people who want a quick paycheck."

Customs and Border Protection was one of many employers at Wednesday's job fair, according to UVU officials, and the agency has taken part in such events at the Orem school for the past several years. Officials from the federal agency didn't immediately respond to a message on Wednesday seeking comment, but UVU touted the annual event as a way for university students to seek out internships and jobs.

"The February event has more than 70 employers confirmed. Consistent with our freedom of speech policies, participating employers have the right to advertise on-campus opportunities. The university is coordinating with campus safety and event organizers to facilitate a secure and respectful environment for all attendees," UVU spokeswoman Sharon Turner said in a statement.

UVU Civil Disobedience Club co-presidents and organizers of the sit-in Harper McGee, bottom left, and Jack McNiven, center, play guitar and sing during a sit-in against Department of Homeland Security recruitment at a job fair across from the Sorensen Center Grand Ballroom in Orem on Wednesday. (Photo: Tess Crowley, Deseret News)

Most of the demonstrators sat along the wall in the long hallway outside the Grand Ballroom so they wouldn't impede foot traffic. Around 150 were on hand as of midday Wednesday, seated on the ground and holding signs. More protesters held signs near the ballroom entrance, where security officials were checking those entering, and others gathered outside a nearby entry to the Sorensen building.

"They really showed up," said Jack McNiven, co-president of UVU's Civil Disobedience Club, which organized the demonstration. He estimated that "several hundred" come-and-go protesters took part in the demonstration, one of many across Utah and beyond in recent weeks.

The budget bill inked into law by Trump last July contains $165 billion for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and Customs and Border Protection. The funds are intended to support the immigration crackdown, and $4.1 billion of the total is earmarked to hire new Customs and Border Protection officials, including 3,000 additional customs officers and 3,000 new border patrol agents.

According to the Customs and Border Protection website, the agency is offering incentives of up to $60,000 to new hires. That includes $10,000 on completing the agency academy, $10,000 for taking a job in "a prioritized location" and $40,000 more spread over four years.

Niyah McConaghie, front center, embraces Abigail Brown, center, during a sit-in against Department of Homeland Security recruitment at a job fair at UVU across from the Sorensen Center Grand Ballroom in Orem on Wednesday. (Photo: Tess Crowley, Deseret News)

"Keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the U.S. while ensuring lawful international travel and trade is a mission that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) takes immense pride in every day," reads the blurb from the agency on the UVU job fair website. "With over 60,000 employees, CBP is one of the world's largest law enforcement organizations."

Of late, officials from the agency have also assisted ICE agents in pursuing and detaining immigrants in the country illegally. At least three Customs and Border Protection agents took part in an operation in West Valley City last week that led to the arrests of two men, now facing deportation.

UVU students participate in a sit-in against Department of Homeland Security recruitment at a job fair across from the Sorensen Center Grand Ballroom in Orem on Wednesday. (Photo: Tess Crowley, Deseret News)

While the Trump administration has said targeted immigrants represent a public safety threat to the country and deplete the nation's resources, the protestors on Wednesday were more sympathetic to the population.

"Just try to put yourself in other people's shoes," said Lee. "We need to learn how to support differences that make this country great."

For Savanna Metz, one of the issues is the lack of due process she thinks immigrants targeted by immigration agents are getting. Agents should be securing proper warrants and target criminal suspects "instead of just pulling people over because they're brown or because they speak Spanish," she said.

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