A Republican lawmaker from the Buffalo region is criticizing Democratic Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, arguing that he exceeded his authority after the Buffalo Convention Center called off a two-day Department of Homeland Security career expo scheduled to open Tuesday. The cancellation came after officials raised objections to the involvement of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and cited concerns about potential demonstrations.
Erie County Legislator Lindsay Lorigo, a Republican, told Fox News Digital that she believed Poloncarz had gone far beyond the limits of his office. She said it was “totally inappropriate” for him to urge convention center management to cancel the planned DHS hiring event.
Lorigo said talks over the expo were still underway and that she remained hopeful the venue might reconsider. She also noted that vendors and local workers had already poured time and resources into preparing the site.
According to Lorigo, some vendors were already set up inside the facility and were now worried about who would be responsible for the costs. She said several feared serious financial strain after committing what she described as significant expenses tied to the event.
Lorigo also questioned the stated safety rationale, saying she believed the concern over possible unrest had been exaggerated.
The Department of Homeland Security pushed back forcefully Friday in a statement to Fox News Digital, defending ICE and framing the backlash as politically driven.
A DHS spokesperson said the agency’s personnel are focused on protecting Americans rather than responding to what the department characterized as political outrage, while also asking why there was not more attention on families who have lost loved ones to crimes committed by people in the country illegally.
The spokesperson added that, in DHS’s view, many Americans regard ICE officers as courageous law enforcement professionals, and cited polling the department says shows broad public support for arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records from U.S. communities.
A May Harvard CAPS/Harris online survey found 80% supported deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally and committed crimes.
USAJOBS described the expo as the department’s premier large-scale hiring event. It was open to the public, veterans, military spouses, people with disabilities and recent graduates, with recruiting planned across cybersecurity, intelligence, law enforcement, finance, human resources, immigration services, logistics and transportation security.
New York Labor Department data released Tuesday showed 25,100 people were unemployed in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga area in July. Its 4.4% jobless rate was up from 4.3% a year earlier.
In a joint statement released by Poloncarz’s office Thursday, the county executive said Erie County owns the convention center but does not manage its bookings or daily operations.
Poloncarz said he learned of the expo Wednesday and urged its management corporation to cancel the DHS contract.
“The Buffalo Convention Center is a publicly owned community asset, and I do not believe it should be used to support recruitment efforts that are inconsistent with the values we have repeatedly expressed as a welcoming community,” Poloncarz said.
Convention center President and CEO Patrick Kaler said management first asked DHS to hold the event without ICE.
“When it became clear that was not possible, we made the decision to cancel as we feel it’s in the best interests of our community at this time,” Kaler said.
