U.S. immigration agents will be recruiting at Cal Poly career fair. Why?
U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be at Cal Poly’s annual career fair on Oct. 22, Mustang News first reported Wednesday.
The agency told the university it will be at the fair “solely for recruiting purposes,” university spokesperson Matt Lazier told The Tribune in an email.
Customs and Border Protection is an immigration law enforcement agency housed under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Its mission is to manage and control the border, overseeing customs, immigration, border security and agricultural protection, according to its website.
The agency is separate from ICE, but Customs and Border Protection officers have been spotted at immigration raids, including some in Los Angeles over the summer, according to separate reports from CalMatters and Capital & Main.
Lazier confirmed to The Tribune that ICE, a separate agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is not registered to recruit at the event.
DHS agencies have attended past Cal Poly career fairs — the most recent being in 2019, Lazier said.
“Career fairs include employers from a diverse range of industries to meet the varied career interests of our students,” Lazier told The Tribune. “Cal Poly Career Services will not and cannot bar employers unless they violate our policies.”
The news comes weeks after another California campus postponed its career fair after the campus community protested the immigration law enforcement agency’s planned presence.
CalMatters reported in August that U.S. Customs and Border Protection planned to recruit at Cal Poly Pomona’s fall career fair, sparking rumors and protests. The Pomona campus postponed the career fair in response.
At the SLO campus, Lazier said registrations for the career fair are ongoing, and students can access the latest list of employers via the MustangJobs portal.
This story was originally published October 10, 2025 at 11:38 AM.
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