Students, alumni and community members gathered along Cougar Boulevard on Feb. 5 to protest the presence of U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Brigham Young University's Winter Career Fair.
A grassroots social media effort called for a protest on Thursday afternoon. A group gathered near the west entrance of campus in response to the announcement that CBP recruiters would be attending the career fair.
Emily Jensen, a current BYU student, said, "I believe that our university stands for human rights and dignity for everyone, and I think that this is a way for students to show that they support that.”
Lane Muranaka, director of Career Services; Todd Hollingshead, BYU media relations manager and CBP recruiters at the fair declined to comment on the situation.
In response to questions about CPB's presence at the fair, University Communications sent out the following statement:
"At BYU, we strive to be 'a community of belonging…whose hearts are knit together in love,' and follow prophets' guidance to be peacemakers."
The statement explained that the university-wide career fair hosted a broad mix of employers, including federal agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and emphasized that student participation at the fair was optional.
"Participation is voluntary, and we ask that all interactions be civil and consistent with campus policies," the statement said.
Beverly Zimmerman, a retired BYU faculty member, said, “I worked with career fairs before, and I am opposed to having ICE come because of the recent killings and unconstitutional actions of ICE. ... Why should they allow ICE? ... It's not a political issue, it's a moral issue.”
Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are two separate agencies but both fall under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The agencies are under increased scrutiny after the January killings of two protesters in Minneapolis. The CBP also recruited students at a job fair at Utah Valley University in Orem on Wednesday.
BYU students Abe Olenslager and Joshua Christensen, members of Turning Point USA were at the scene to hear the opinions of those at the protest.
“We are wanting to learn more about these people and why they are protesting ICE," Olenslager said. "But we are also trying to hear the opinions of conservatives and try to have a non-partisan approach."
Christensen expressed his frustration with those participating in the protest.
“I think it's so unfortunate that a small group of BYU students have chosen to air their grievances in this way. ... I think the BYU administration is very willing to listen to students, ... so I think having respectful conversations is a better way of doing things,” he said.
The group was peaceful. Local and BYU police officers watched from across the street. The group led chants such as, “Rise and Shout, BYU get ICE out,” and “No justice, no peace. Get ICE off our streets.”
Students cheered as cars drove by the scene, honking their car horns.
Ben Hansen, a music major at BYU, chose to bring his guitar to the protest. He led students in singing familiar hymns.
"Protesting is all about bringing people together and unifying voices around a certain message, and nothing brings people together like music,” Hansen said. “Immigrants are just people, we are all just people too. We are all just children of God.”
In January 2025, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reaffirmed values regarding immigration issues. The Church shared the following guidelines:
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints obeys the law.
- We follow Jesus Christ by loving our neighbors. The Savior taught that the meaning of “neighbor” includes all of God’s children.
- We seek to provide basic food and clothing, as our capacity allows, to those in need, regardless of their immigration status. We are especially concerned about keeping families together.
The Church's full statement on immigration principles can be found here.