The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency is hiring, as the Trump Administration prepares to deploy thousands more deportation agents into America’s cities.
So it wasn’t surprising for the federal agency to place some ads in the Atlanta market to coincide with the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference there, a week-long career event earlier this month.
What was surprising, however, was the format for that ad campaign:
Pizza boxes.
The restaurant Mojo Pizza ‘n Pub in Decatur, Georgia, last week reportedly received 100 free pizza boxes that had a large and prominent recruitment ad for joining the U.S. Border Patrol on the front, according to a report that first appeared in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Mojo Pizza officials said they had gotten a call offering the free boxes, not knowing what they would be promoting. It’s not unusual for advertising to be placed on pizza boxes.
But when the boxes arrived, the staff at Mojo were not happy about the prominent and in-full-color ad on the top, promising “a career that delivers,” with the chance to earn up to $30,000 in recruitment incentives for joining Customs and Border Protection.
“I don’t want it in my restaurant that I work for,” said prep cook Chad Dumas, who called the boxes “propaganda” in USA Today.
The restaurant staff declined to use the boxes, and burned most of them, according to news reports.
It’s not clear whether the boxes were offered to other restaurants. Mojo officials did not immediately respond to requests for more information.
The ad campaign, however, was confirmed by Customs and Border Protection officials, who said the agency has received more than 1,600 applicants so far this year, with Georgia contributing the highest number of candidates nationwide after Texas, California, Florida, Arizona and New York.
The ad campaign was initiated by marketing vendor MarCom Group and included ads at Atlanta’s airport.
It’s not clear why ads on pizza boxes seemed like a good idea. MarCom did not immediately respond to questions about the strategy.
Tensions over the Trump Administration’s immigration policies are running high throughout the restaurant industry.
Many are fiercely opposed to the aggressive deportation efforts that have not only threatened workers. There is growing evidence deportation threats are dampening restaurant sales, particularly in immigrant communities where consumers are afraid to go out.
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