Buffalo – A dispute over immigration enforcement erupted in Erie County this week when the Buffalo Convention Center canceled a two‑day Department of Homeland Security (DHS) career fair scheduled to begin Tuesday. County Executive Mark Poloncarz ordered the cancellation after officials learned that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would participate, a move that drew sharp criticism from Republican Erie County Legislator Lindsay Lorigo.
Local officials clash over authority
“The county executive has completely surpassed his power and authority. This was totally inappropriate for him to call on the management of the convention center to cancel this event,” Lorigo said in an interview with Fox News Digital. She added that vendors had already invested time and local labor into setting up the expo and feared financial loss if the event remained canceled.
Poloncarz, a Democrat, defended his decision by emphasizing the convention center’s status as a publicly owned community asset. “I do not believe it should be used to support recruitment efforts that are inconsistent with the values we have repeatedly expressed as a welcoming community,” he said in a joint statement released Thursday.
Impact on local workers and businesses
Vendors and local businesses that had prepared booths expressed concern about lost revenue. “I have had discussions with vendors that are already set up there,” Lorigo noted. “They’re worried they’ll have to close down their business because they can’t afford the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and now they don’t know who’s going to pay the bill.”
The Buffalo Convention Center’s President and CEO, Patrick Kaler, explained that management initially asked DHS to hold the event without ICE. When that proved impossible, the center decided to cancel, saying it was in the best interest of the community.
DHS response and broader immigration debate
DHS defended ICE’s role, stating, “Our agents are focused on protecting the American people — not entertaining performative outrage. Where is the outrage for Angel families who lost a loved one to illegal alien crime?” A DHS spokesperson added that 80 % of Americans support arresting and deporting criminal illegal aliens from neighborhoods.
A May Harvard CAPS/Harris online survey echoed this sentiment, finding that 80 % of respondents backed deportation of immigrants who are in the country illegally and have committed crimes.
Local unemployment context
New York Labor Department data released Tuesday showed 25,100 people were unemployed in the Buffalo‑Cheektowaga area in July, with a 4.4 % jobless rate, up slightly from 4.3 % a year earlier. The canceled DHS expo, described by USAJOBS as the department’s premier large‑scale hiring event, would have offered opportunities for veterans, military spouses, people with disabilities, and recent graduates across fields such as cybersecurity, intelligence, law enforcement, finance, human resources, immigration services, logistics, and transportation security.
Political implications
The episode highlights the ongoing tension between local officials who prioritize community values and those who argue for robust immigration enforcement as a matter of public safety. While Poloncarz framed the decision as protecting community standards, Lorigo portrayed it as an overreach that jeopardizes local jobs and vendors.
As the debate continues, Erie County residents await further clarification on whether the convention center will revisit the decision and whether future DHS events will be allowed to proceed without ICE involvement.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
