While CBP employs many dedicated public servants and carries out important functions, the current climate surrounding agent conduct has drawn widespread public scrutiny. Extending an invitation at this time risks sending a message inconsistent with BYU’s mission and values. Career fairs are not neutral spaces; the institutions and opportunities we present to students communicate values as much as professional pathways.

BYU’s motto–“Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve”–calls students not only to intellectual excellence but also to ethical discernment. Inviting organizations that are under public scrutiny for constitutional and civil liberties concerns sends a signal about which forms of service are endorsed and which principles are elevated. In this instance, BYU had the opportunity either not to extend the invitation initially or to reconsider it once the concerns became clear. Such a decision would not have been political, but a reaffirmation that moral considerations guide institutional choices.

I raise this concern with deep respect for public service. I hold a Master of Public Administration from the Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics. Throughout my education and career, federal service represented not just employment, but a calling grounded in ethics, stewardship, and responsibility. One of the most aspirational outcomes for BYU students committed to public service was placement with USAID, representing principled humanitarian and diplomatic engagement abroad. More recently, I was offered a federal position that was later withdrawn amid broader upheaval, an experience that reinforced my conviction that ethical leadership requires speaking up when power is exercised through intimidation or disregard for dignity.

My connection to BYU runs deep. My grandfather, aunt, and uncle were professors at the university, and I am part of a family of alumni that collectively holds forty-four bachelor’s degrees, eight master’s degrees, and one PhD from BYU. This enduring connection gives me both love and responsibility toward the institution and its values.

This is not a condemnation of CBP or its many honorable employees, but a call for discernment in institutional affiliation. Faith-based universities carry a responsibility to ensure that the opportunities they promote honor dignity, constitutional principles, and love of neighbor. At a time when students are learning to “go forth to serve,” it is critical that the institutions guiding them provide clarity about the values they elevate.

BYU has long maintained standards for employer participation, excluding organizations that conflict with Church values. Consistency in these decisions is vital to institutional integrity and student understanding. Inviting an organization under public scrutiny, even if large and complex, risks sending a message contrary to the careful ethical guidance we strive to teach students.

My hope is that sharing this perspective encourages reflection and dialogue — not conflict. BYU has shaped generations of leaders who act with integrity, and in moments like these, the university has the opportunity to model discernment and moral courage.

McKenzie Lawyer Davies of Macon, Georgia, is a BYU alumna with two degrees from the university. She formerly oversaw government recruitment and career fairs at BYU and holds a Master of Public Administration from the Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics.