Politics
Buffalo Convention Center cancels DHS job fair over ICE participation
Erie County's executive urged the venue to terminate the contract, sparking criticism from local Republican officials and federal agency responses.
The short version
- The Buffalo Convention Center canceled a two-day Department of Homeland Security hiring event after venue management was unable to exclude Immigration and Customs Enforcement from participating.
- Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz asked management to drop the event, citing local values and potential protest concerns.
- Local Republican lawmakers criticized the cancellation as an overreach of authority, while DHS defended ICE's recruitment efforts.
Key facts
- Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz asked the operator of the publicly owned Buffalo Convention Center to cancel a Department of Homeland Security recruitment expo set to start the following week.[Fox News]
- Convention center management initially asked DHS to proceed without ICE, but canceled the contract after DHS declined.[Fox News]
- Erie County Legislator Lindsay Lorigo, a Republican, accused Poloncarz of exceeding his official authority by pushing for the cancellation.[Fox News]
- A DHS spokesperson criticized the move as political, defending ICE agents and their role in law enforcement.[Fox News]
What remains uncertain
- It remains uncertain whether ongoing discussions could lead the convention center to reverse the cancellation, as well as who will absorb the costs incurred by vendors during setup.[Fox News]