UIC Invites Border Patrol To Participate In School Career Fair, Angering Students

UNIVERSITY VILLAGE – A group of students at the University of Illinois Chicago are calling on administrators to keep Customs and Border Protection from participating in a student career fair Wednesday.

On Monday, the group Mexican Students de Aztlán, one of the college’s Latino student groups, started calling on administrators to get “la migra off campus” after several students received email invitations to apply for jobs with Customs and Border Protection. The agency is expected to participate in a Wednesday career fair hosted by the College of Business, according to messages students received through Handshake, the college’s career portal.

“Still interested in attending the U.S. Border Patrol Career Fair? Register your spot here,” reads a copy of the message reviewed by Block Club. “Begin a rewarding career as U.S. Border Patrol Agent, securing America’s land borders and coastal waters to protect the nation’s people.”

The message is attached to a notification about the UIC Business Accounting Career Fair on Wednesday.

“This is ridiculous. How are we getting emails to join CBP or immigration enforcement at a so-called Hispanic-serving institution?” said Angel Naranjos, a student majoring in Latin American and Latino Studies and a member of Mexican Students de Aztlán.

The University of Illinois Chicago, with a student body of about 36,000 students, is one of the most ethnically diverse universities in the country, according to its website. It was federally designated a minority-serving institution and, in 2016, a Hispanic-serving institution.

The Business Career Center did not respond to a call and the university did not immediately respond to Block Club’s request for comment.

On Monday morning, Mexican Students de Aztlán started sharing a social media call asking students, faculty and other employees to email Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda and the Business Career Center administrators to rescind their invitation.

“The decision to host CBP in this setting has generated serious concerns among members of our campus community,” the social media post reads. The response has been positive, with dozens of students and some faculty and staff saying they have reached out to the administration, Naranjos said.

Students plan to protest if the invitation is not rescinded by midnight Tuesday. As of Tuesday afternoon, students were notified the RSVP option to the Customs and Border Protection event “was removed,” Naranjos said. It is unclear if the Department of Homeland Security’s agency will be on campus.

The call comes weeks after the student group held another protest, calling for protections for undocumented students after a court struck down three laws that allowed financial aid and in-state tuition for Illinois undocumented students. The group and other students have also called on the college to declare itself a Sanctuary Campus, Naranjos said.

It also comes nearly a year after two women were detained by immigration agents behind the student service center during Operation Midway Blitz, sparking outrage and protests, according to WGN.

______________________________________________________________________

Support Local News!

Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? Click here to gift a subscription, or you can support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.

Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast: