WORCESTER—A planned Department of Homeland Security careers session at the College of the Holy Cross went online this week after activists urged students and community members to protest the appearance of what they described as a “confirmed ICE agent.”
In social media posts, Worcester Indivisible called for a counter-protest outside Hogan 406 before the scheduled Thursday afternoon event. The post urged supporters to “join and chase ICE out of our community” and described the college’s decision to host the session as “collaborating with what amounts to the modern day gestapo.”
The group also organized a “phone zap,” circulating names, emails, and phone numbers of Holy Cross officials and instructing participants to “shut down their phone lines” to pressure the college to cancel the event.
The Worcester Guardian obtained a message sent to the Holy Cross community Tuesday from President Vincent Rougeau. In it, he wrote that the career session would be held via Zoom “in order to allow this important information sharing to continue for students who are interested.”
Rougeau said Holy Cross has hosted representatives from the Department of Homeland Security for the past six years to help students understand federal career paths, writing that the agency includes “the Coast Guard, FEMA, and the Secret Service among other areas,” in addition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. His message acknowledged that “many in the Holy Cross community are deeply upset by some tactics currently being employed by the federal government in the area of immigration enforcement,” and noted that protests were expected.
“Holy Cross affirms the rights of students, faculty and staff to express ideas and state their agreement or disagreement with the opinions of others,” Rougeau wrote. “This includes the right to disagree through peaceful protest that does not disrupt campus operations, work, or learning.”
The president’s message referenced recent campus events focused on migrant and refugee rights, and cited a statement earlier this week from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops expressing concern about fear created by immigration enforcement while also recognizing that “nations have a responsibility to regulate their borders and establish a just and orderly immigration system.”
It is unclear how many protesters gathered outside Hogan Hall or how many students ultimately attended the online DHS session.
The dispute came as Worcester continues to see heightened public attention on immigration enforcement following an ICE arrest in the city this spring that sparked demonstrations and calls for greater oversight.
This story will be updated as additional information becomes available.
