Erie County Cancels DHS Job Fair Due to ICE Participation Concerns

<p>Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz canceled a two-day Department of Homeland Security (DHS) career expo scheduled to begin on Tuesday at the Buffalo Convention Center, citing concerns over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) involvement and potential protests. Republican Erie County Legislator Lindsay Lorigo criticized Poloncarz, stating he overstepped his authority by influencing the convention center's management to cancel the event.</p><p>Lorigo noted that discussions regarding the event were ongoing and expressed hope that the convention center would reverse its decision, emphasizing that vendors had already invested time and resources into the expo's setup. She mentioned that some vendors were worried about financial losses due to the cancellation.</p><p>DHS defended ICE, stating that its agents focus on protecting the American public and criticized the backlash as politically motivated. A spokesperson for DHS highlighted that a significant majority of Americans support the deportation of criminal illegal aliens.</p><p>A May Harvard CAPS/Harris online survey indicated that 80% of respondents supported deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally and have committed crimes. The DHS expo was described as a major hiring event, open to various groups including veterans and recent graduates, with recruitment across multiple sectors.</p><p>New York Labor Department data released on the same day showed that the Buffalo-Cheektowaga area had 25,100 unemployed individuals in July, with a jobless rate of 4.4%, up from 4.3% the previous year.</p><p>In a joint statement, Poloncarz clarified that while Erie County owns the convention center, it does not manage bookings or daily operations. He stated that he urged the management corporation to cancel the DHS contract due to the event's inconsistency with the community's values.</p><p>Convention center President and CEO Patrick Kaler mentioned that management initially requested DHS to hold the event without ICE, but upon realizing that was not feasible, they decided to cancel for the community's best interests.</p><p>Fox News Digital attempted to contact Poloncarz for further comment but did not receive an immediate response.</p>