When Sophie Dagostino, a senior at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), heard US Customs and Border Protection would be attending the College of Southern Nevada’s fall career fair, she was frustrated given the amount of community pushback the college already received last February — which resulted in the agency pulling out of the spring career fair.
“I thought we made it really clear that they’re not welcome on campus,” Dagostino told The Nevadan.
“I’m enraged,” added Jill Glass, the Abolish ICE working group co-steward with the Las Vegas chapter of Democratic Socialists of America. “I think our institutions, especially community colleges, should be standing up against anything [Department of Homeland Security], anything Trump administration related right now.”
While CBP and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are separate agencies, both operate under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and enforce immigration laws.
Grassroots organizing
Customs and Border Protection is scheduled to attend College of Southern Nevada’s career fair on Sept. 23, which has drawn mass criticism on social media. Students and advocacy groups have mobilized to push back against the college once again for allowing the border agency to be on campus in an effort to recruit students.
“It just bothers me [they’re] allowing something like that to happen in a public space, where they’re inviting young people to come to the table that might be looking for their first career, their first job out of school,” Glass said in an interview. “And to say, ‘oh, this is a hero’s job, this is noble work,’ … Absolutely no one should be joining this enterprise at all right now.”
In February, the UNLV chapter of the Youth Democratic Socialists of America organized a letter campaign to tell college officials Border Protection was not welcome on campus. Dagostino, who’s part of the student group, told The Nevadan that 56 letters were sent to the school.
The student group launched another letter campaign on Sept. 10, and 311 letters have already been sent to the community college.
“Although CBP and ICE are not the same agency, these agencies collaborate and share resources in pursuit of the same goal,” the letter reads. “CBP’s very presence in this capacity is the intentional realization of tactics that more closely resemble terrorism than law enforcement.”
The letter alleges that Jesus Ochua and Raymundo Gutierrez, CBP agents, shot and killed Alex Pretti, an unarmed protester, on Jan. 24 in Minneapolis.
The letter continues by stating “It was Border Patrol’s commander-at-large, Gregory Bovino, who was the architect not only of Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, but that of Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago and the raids of Los Angeles before it.”
College of Southern Nevada representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
‘Campus solidarity’
The college faced similar public outcry in February when Border Protection was scheduled to attend its spring career fair. Despite staff and student concerns, college President Stacy Klippenstein contended the federal agency had been at prior recruitment events, and would continue to be involved.
A week later, Klippenstein announced the agency withdrew from the career fair after speaking with campus leadership.
Dagostino told The Nevadan she’s hopeful the college administration will listen to the community and withdraw the contentious agency from the career fair.
Despite the UNLV chapter spearheading the campaign for the community college event, Dagostino said it’s for “campus solidarity.”
“A lot of UNLV students went to CSN or still go to CSN in some capacity,” Dagostino said. “We’re all connected by the Nevada System of Higher Education … I think the Board of Regents could be doing more to get CBP and ICE off of our campuses.”
Glass agrees with Dagostino, who said she’s heard concerns from students of color who want to participate in the pushback, but fear retaliation.
“This is the time where we need our leaders of our institutions to stand up and say that we’re not a country that celebrates hiring these goons as heroes,” Glass said.
