Career Center confirms it cannot bar homeland security from attending career fairs
By Jayden Gonsalves, Staff Writer
The Towson University Career Center confirmed at a meeting between student organizations and university departments that it could not legally bar Homeland Security Investigations, known as HSI, from attending the upcoming Towson fall career fair.
The town-hall style meeting, held on Sept. 5 and organized by the Student Government Association, was in response to student backlash over Homeland Security Investigation’s slated attendance at the Fall 2025 Career and Internship Fair on Sept. 26.
Vice President of the Career Center Lorie Logan-Bennett said in response to a student question that Towson cannot stop employers from attending the fair unless it’s for safety or “legally defensible” reasons.
“We can stop formally inviting them, but if a company or employer chooses to attend, we cannot deny them that opportunity,” Logan-Bennett said.
She also addressed the students’ fears about HSI’s presence and clarified the difference between HSI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, referred to as ICE.
HSI is a division of ICE, which has come under fire as it increases raids on undocumented immigrants around the country. HSI traditionally focuses on global crime like smuggling and trafficking, but recently HSI representatives have been acting as spokespeople in the aftermath of ICE raids.
Towson students organized a petition and protested HSI when it was slated to attend last spring’s career fair. HSI ultimately pulled out of the fair, but its return sparked a similar reaction to last semester.
The SGA invited student leaders of various organizations to the meeting. It included the Latin American Student Organization known as LASO, the Young Democratic Socialists of America known as YDSA, and La Voz Latina, which is Towson’s bilingual Latino student newspaper. Representatives for university departments such as the Center for Student Diversity and University Residence Government also attended.
After Logan-Bennet answered the main question about HSI being allowed at the fair, asked by LASO Vice President Alexandra Blandon, the conversation transitioned to the ways students can still make their voices heard over the issue.
SGA Attorney General Fiyinfoluwa Sanya pointed students to Towson’s guidance on activism so students could protest safely.
Davis Payton and Noah Glorioso, co-chairs of Towson YDSA, said that they tried to raise awareness about HSI by passing out flyers in the University Union during the opening week of school. According to them, Towson administration intervened and said YDSA couldn’t solicit anywhere on campus.
SGA President Allyyah Aali said she would investigate the situation and clarify student’s rights for canvassing, which is when organizations make direct contact with individuals like during political campaigns or for grassroots movements, commonly known as door knocking.
SGA members also noted that students are welcome to attend the SGA’s weekly Tuesday meetings at 5 p.m. in the University Union. Students can share concerns with the SGA and ask questions during the open comment time.
“We as SGA can only do so much,” Aali said. “We need the support of campus leaders. If you stay silent and don’t speak up, we can’t make progress. We are the future of this university; we are the future of this country. Our only incentive is to do what is right, and we expect all student organization leaders to share that same sentiment.”