Seattle University’s Crime and Justice Research Center recently made the decision to invite Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility (CBP) to its annual career fair. The decision was quickly met with criticism: some students, including members of Seattle U’s MECHA, an organization that connects and uplifts Latine voices, attended a Jan. 14 Student Government of Seattle U (SGSU) meeting to testify against the invitation, while 22 faculty members sent a letter to the administration requesting they reconsider.
At an Academic Assembly meeting Monday, Jan. 26, it was announced to Seattle U faculty that the Office of Professional Responsibility had declined the invitation and would not be in attendance. This news came as a relief to many who had spoken against the invitation, but concerns remained about its extension in the first place.
“I was frustrated that [the administration] did not name what a follow-up to our feedback would look like,” Fourth-year Elementary Education major and MECHA President Lily Estrada, who spoke out against the invitation, said. “I just want to know that our words are truly being heard.”
Estrada’s frustrations were echoed by faculty within the College of Arts and Sciences. A faculty letter was sent to Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Monica Casper, and Director of the Crime and Justice Research Center, Jaqueline Helfgott, Jan. 22, expressing strong concerns about the invitation to the Criminal Justice Department’s career fair.
“[The invitation] was in direct conflict with the mission of our SU community,” Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing Serena Chopra said. “My students and this community are part of my heart, and I won’t tolerate injustice nor agree to host those who participate in blatant injustice to rattle our strength and commitment to one another.”
Chopra was one of the 22 faculty members who signed the letter expressing their concerns about the invitation. The letter was sent to all College of Arts and Sciences staff and faculty, as well as Dean Casper and Director Helfgott. It outlined key concerns surrounding CBP’s invitation to campus. These concerns included the physical safety and mental well-being of community members; they also touched on how the invitation contradicted the mission and values of the university as a whole.
“Although many of us as faculty/staff come to Seattle U with different belief systems, we are a Jesuit Catholic institution. In line with this approach and belief system, Pope Leo XIV has publicly condemned what he called ‘extremely disrespectful’ and ‘inhuman’ treatment of immigrants in the United States […] He also stated that all Catholics (which should include Catholic institutions such as Seattle University) must come together in solidarity with immigrants,” the letter said.
Seattle U is built on Jesuit Catholic values, and Pope Leo XIV, the leader of the Catholic Church, has condemned the state of immigration enforcement in the United States; however, the College of Arts and Sciences has argued that the invitation of the Office of Professional Responsibility is, in fact, in alignment with the Jesuit mission.
“Seattle University’s Jesuit tradition calls for engagement rather than disengagement,” a separate Jan. 28 statement signed by the Crime and Justice Research Center and the Department of Criminal Justice said. “When particular agencies or roles become off-limits in classroom discussions or excluded from educational forums, students may be discouraged from entering professions where ethical leadership and reform-minded service are most needed.”
Still, some argue that the invitation was inappropriate considering the current political climate. Some students and faculty are fearful of the potential for harm that could arise when an organization associated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), even indirectly, is invited to campus. Chopra said one of her primary concerns with the invitation was that nonwhite students or students without citizenship could feel unsafe attending the event, leading them to be excluded. Tsion Tesfaye, senator for the College of Arts and Sciences, said her constituents expressed similar concerns.
“There’s safety concerns with them being on campus, especially with what’s going on with ICE right now,” Tesfaye said. “Not only my constituents, but I personally believe that it was extremely insensitive to invite that organization on campus.”
Tesfaye also shared data from a survey sent out by the College of Arts and Sciences Student Executive Council and the Criminal Justice Club aimed at getting student feedback on the invitation. According to her, only 5% of responses supported maintaining the invitation.
Administration from the Criminal Justice department, administration from the College of Arts and Sciences and a representative from the Department of Homeland Security did not respond when asked for comment.
A correction was made on Feb. 6, 2026: This article has been updated to clarify that the survey data Tesfaye cited came from a survey sent out by the College of Arts and Sciences Student Executive Council and the Criminal Justice Club, not the college itself.
Corrections are made during production when errors are identified in time, so not all corrections may appear in every edition.
