Some Northeastern students show their passion for international relations through studying abroad in Northern Ireland through the NUin program. But for second-year International Relations and Business Administration student McKinsleigh Adams, this means showing her Husky pride as a Student Volunteer co-op with the Department of Homeland Security, shadowing ICE agents as they hit the streets and snatch random passerby.
Adams found this opportunity on NUWorks. She received two offers by the end of her cycle, one as a do-nothing-for-eight-hours co-op with some bullshit department at Northeastern, and one for the DHS, albeit unpaid.
“Originally, I wasn’t gonna take this co-op, since I wouldn’t make any money,” she started. “But after thinking about it, I realized I hate immigrants more than I like money, so honestly, it felt like a calling.”
Upon arrival to her new role, she wasted no time in getting straight to work. “My first project was making an Excel spreadsheet of the international students here who seem too pro-Palestine for my liking. We gotta clean up campus, one visa-holder at a time. Then I got to join the detainment team! It was difficult at first to find people to arrest, but since the Supreme Court brought back racial profiling, we’re making arrests faster than you can scream ‘help me!’ or call your lawyer!”
When asked about the highs and lows of the job, Adams started with the highs, saying, “I love Y2K, so being at the DHS reminds me of 9/11 and the birth of the department. Such an iconic era that was for national security policy.” However, she goes on. “But this experience really opened my eyes to how many immigrants there are. I’m just sad I’m leaving before we get rid of them all.”
Adams hopes to continue her work in what she likes to brand as, “a global movement of the people” through a full-time role with ICE in the future. If that doesn’t work out, Adams says she’ll “maybe do something in finance.” Until then, we wish the best of luck to Adams and her critical role in keeping our country safe. (ICE if you are reading this please don’t kidnap another one of our editors, these guys are expensive to replace.)
Oliver Roy contributed reporting for this article.
