U.S. Customs and Border Protection
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When a U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicle was spotted on the University of Memphis campus Tuesday, the visit raised concerns and some fears among students.
As the blue-and-white pickup truck sat parked for hours next to the administration building, dissenters taped paper protest signs to its windows and wrote “Down with ICE!!” in black Sharpie pen on a panel of the truck’s body.
Alfredo Silva, one of the three visiting CBP officers, said protesters were mistaken about the nature of their presence: They weren’t there to make arrests, he said. They were recruiting.
“We came to attend the career fair just to make ourselves known … and the opportunities that come with it that aren’t necessarily just law enforcement,” Silva said. “There are other aspects of the job. “
UofM’s Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management hosted the career fair. Over 40 companies and entities were represented, including CBP.
But the vehicle parked on State Street attracted a crowd of students and faculty. The recent federal crackdown on people living in the U.S. without authorization is a source of anxiety, even among U.S. citizens like Giovanna Rodriguez, a student.
“In my head I thought, oh, it’s ICE, you know, immigration. So that was my first thought and I was like, I have to go advise my people,” Rodriguez said. “I have to go tell them, you know, regardless, I don’t know their immigration status, but I just feel like it’s important to let people know.”
Silva said CBP is commonly confused with ICE, or Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Both are agencies within the Department of Homeland Security.
“They’ve a misconception of — they’re like — oh, we’re going to go do like a raid, for instance,” Silva said.
ICE vehicles are usually unmarked, according to the League of United Latin American Citizens.
In contrast, CBP’s Ford pickup truck was marked with the agency’s insignia and bore federal government-issued license plates. The truck became a bulletin board for messages aimed at CBP’s sister agency. Some people left sticky notes and signs on the exterior. “Down With ICE!!” was written in black Sharpie on the side of the truck.
Rodriguez was sent photos of the incident.
“Obviously, I don’t condone vandalism, but I understand that the students and, you know, my peers wanted to get their voice out there,” Rodriguez said.
Campus police said they received a report about the vandalism, but a representative could provide no additional details about the incident by deadline time for this story.
