Given the current political climate surrounding immigration, some students were surprised when Seattle University’s Crime and Justice Research Center made the decision to invite the United States Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility (CBP) to their annual career fair, which will take place Feb. 10. The decision sparked student backlash; some expressed their displeasure on social media while others took to Seattle U’s student government to request that the invitation be rescinded. 

The CBP and its Office of Professional Responsibility are not Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Both organizations fall under the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS); however, CBP is primarily concerned with activities at the United States borders, while ICE is the DHS component that operates within the country. 

CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility doesn’t directly manage immigration; its focus is on ensuring organization-wide compliance with policy and managing allegations of misconduct or mismanagement. They are also responsible for executing internal programs relating to security and integrity. 

Still, the invitation, which as of publishing has not been accepted or denied by CBP, has raised concerns for some students. Some believe the timing of the invitation is inappropriate, and others say any organization affiliated with ICE has no place on Seattle U’s campus. 

Tensions between Americans and the Department of Homeland Security are running high. Anti-ICE protests have garnered nationwide attention in cities like Portland, Los Angeles and Minneapolis, where a woman was killed by an ICE agent. In Seattle, public figures like Mayor Katie Wilson have expressed support for protesters at “ICE Out For Good” events. 

“Inviting them is allowing pure hate onto campus,” Fourth-year Elementary Education Major and MECHA president Lily Estrada said. “It’s against the Jesuit lifestyle that the university prides itself on and that students pay thousands of dollars to learn from.” 

Estrada, along with other community members, spoke during the public comment portion of the Jan. 14 Student Government of Seattle U meeting, requesting that Border Protection be uninvited from campus altogether. MECHA also released a statement on Instagram that expressed their frustrations. The invitation, students said, sends the wrong message about what the university stands for. 

“Seattle U talks a lot about its alumni and how proud they are of them,” Julissa Vazquez-Mejia, a second-year nursing student, said after the meeting. “Alumni working for Border Patrol and causing harm doesn’t align with that image.” 

Monday, Jan. 12, students in the College of Arts and Sciences received an email asking for their feedback on the issue. This email included a survey created by the Criminal Justice Club, which gave students the opportunity to comment on the invitation. Julia Paczkowski De Oliveira, president of the Criminal Justice Club, says those responses were overwhelmingly negative: 408 out of 430 student responses indicated that they would prefer the invitation be rescinded. 

The Jan. 12 email also refers to the invited group as the “Border Patrol Office of Accountability” multiple times, though later communication with university officials clarified that this group is the “Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility.”

“Universities are supposed to be sanctuaries for us,” Valeria Bravo, a second-year marketing student, said. “They’re our homes. Inviting an organization such as this, even if it’s not actually ICE, goes against everything we should stand for.” 

When Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility attended the Feb. 2025 fair last year, the university received similar feedback. Students contacted the administration requesting that the office be uninvited; when that didn’t work, some skipped the fair altogether. This year, students hoped that their advocacy would lead to action. 

“I hope that the university has a very intentional moment of discernment on what they do or do not allow onto campus, and how their invitations or actions align with the values and the mission statements that they promote constantly and that they gain a lot of profit off of,” Estrada said.

In a Jan. 21 email to students and faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences, Dean Monica Casper stated that the university has “long affirmed broad academic freedom for faculty across departments and centers in making decisions related to student learning and their professional development.” She also provided an update: in response to student concerns, the career fair will now take place off campus at the Stuart Rolfe Community Room in the ADAL building across the street from Sinegal, rather than the Casey Commons.

When The Spectator reached out to the Criminal Justice Department for an additional statement, they did not provide one, forwarding Dean Casper’s message instead. The Crime and Justice Research Center did not respond in time for comment.