Erie County in New York cancels a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) career expo at the Buffalo Convention Center after a dispute about the event’s involvement of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Erie County legislator Mark Poloncarz urges the venue and organizers to cancel the fair, arguing that ICE’s role makes the event inappropriate.
Fox News and the New York Post report that the decision draws public and political backlash, with critics saying the expo should not proceed given ICE’s responsibilities. A DHS spokesperson responds to the controversy by saying DHS components and agents are focused on protecting the public rather than “performing” or being drawn into political disputes. The accounts characterize the dispute as a clash between local elected officials calling for cancellation and federal officials defending the participation and purpose of the recruitment event.
