Students at two Utah universities are calling on their schools to disinvite the federal Border Patrol and Protection agents who are set to be on campus this week to recruit.
At Utah Valley University in Orem, the inclusion of U.S. Customs and Border Protection on the list of more than 70 employers who plan to host a table at the school’s job fair Wednesday has drawn major attention online and touched off a torrent of angry phone calls and emails to administrators.
And at nearby Brigham Young University — owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — faculty, staff and students have signed a Google Form petition to oppose CBP’s presence on the Provo campus at its job fair Thursday.
UVU’s response
At UVU on Wednesday, students protested across from the event. The pushback was led by the university’s Civil Disobedience Club, which has posted about the job fair several times.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) More than 200 protesters gather for an anti-Ice protest at Utah Valley University, on Wednesday, Feb 4, 2026.
There had been some confusion in the posts about whether officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, would be at the event. In a statement, UVU confirmed that the job fair will include CBP agents, but not ICE.
Both are divisions under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE is typically more involved with law enforcement around immigration. CBP, which includes both Border Patrol and Border Protection agents, is usually focused on securing the borders and ports of entry for the United States.
But there has also been some role-mixing recently under President Donald Trump’s administration.
ICE has been deployed to several major cities as of late to arrest immigrants who Trump’s administration has alleged are in the country illegally. That includes in Minneapolis, where enforcement has ramped up and where residents have responded with massive protests.
CBP agents have also been a part of that enforcement. And earlier this month, they were allegedly involved in the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse and American citizen, ProPublica reported Sunday, citing a preliminary report to Congress.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents are seen outside of a Target store Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Agents in Border Patrol vests also recently arrested two men at a Utah auto shop, according to the wife of one of the men, who recorded part of the encounter. That interaction has raised questions about agents operating without warrants.
Cities across Utah and the nation also held protests last week in solidarity with Minneapolis and in protest of ICE.
UVU said in a statement about the job fair, which is held every semester, that it is “aware of the campus community concerns.”
Some flyers hung on campus for the event had mentioned that CBP would be among the recruiters.
“Consistent with our freedom of speech policies, participating employers have the right to advertise opportunities on campus,” the school said.
It added: “Utah Valley University educates students for success in work and life. Part of that education is connecting students with employers. … Most Utah colleges and universities hold these fairs with many of the same employers.”
The school said that its job fairs include both private and public employers who request to take part in the event.
Based on a review of past events, it appears CBP has taken part in the UVU recruiting event since at least 2018.
UVU said it plans to have security at the job fair. The school has recently been in the spotlight for its security measures after the September on-campus killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. The university has been criticized for not providing enough police officers to cover the crowd of more than 3,000 attendees and for not securing rooftops ahead of the event.
A single shot was fired from the roof of the Losee Center, striking Kirk. Tyler James Robinson has since been arrested and charged with Kirk’s killing.
The BYU job fair and protests
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The statue of Brigham Young on the BYU campus in 2024.
BYU will hold its Winter Career Fair on Thursday. According to an online listing of recruiters attending the school’s fair, CBP is registered as one of the participants.
Besides the petition against the agency’s presence at the school, two protests are planned for Thursday. One will take place from 10 a.m. to noon on the east side of campus near Campus Lane and the Utah Valley Express station. The other will be held from noon to 1 p.m. near the west entrance to BYU at the intersection of North Canyon Road and Cougar Boulevard.
Provo residents Laurie Preece and her husband, David, who are helping to organize one of the demonstrations, said they worry about the safety and well-being of BYU’s community.
“If you’re an international student or a student of color, you’re not unaware of what’s been going on in the country at large,” she said. “And the likelihood of you feeling comfortable and safe being on campus is going to decrease significantly.”
Laurie said she was aware of many students who will not go on campus for the days CBP is in the area. She said they are concerned whether their safety will be protected at the school.
David points to the implied connection the university now has to CBP.
“Our concern is that with them being on these campuses, which they have the right to do if they’re invited by the university, there is an implied endorsement that some people might take away from that,” he said. “And we just don’t think that’s appropriate.”
Although the Preeces are fans of the university, with season football tickets, they believe that BYU — and in turn The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — is sidestepping its values of kindness and compassion by allowing CBP to recruit there.
That ripple effect is spreading to BYU alumni across the country.
Bryan Merrill, who earned his master’s degree from the school in 2015, said he is disappointed with his alma mater.
Merrill, who lives in Los Angeles County, where immigration agents have stepped up their crackdown, said his neighbors and fellow church members feel terrorized and fear for their safety.
“Whenever CBP or ICE activity is reported in my area, I go and walk laps around my kids’ majority-Hispanic elementary school to ensure my kids’ friends and their parents feel safe during school drop-off and pickup,” Merrill said. “This is very real to me.”
Inviting CBP to recruit at BYU sends a message to the world, Merrill says, that the church-sponsored school approves of former missionaries participating in an organization that is “depriving people of their constitutional rights.”
BYU did not immediately supply a response to Salt Lake Tribune questions for this story.