California State University–Los Angeles will allow its faculty to move classes online, work remotely, and excuse student absences, citing fears stemming from federal deportation operations targeting illegal immigrants in the area, the university confirmed July 11.
“Faculty are being supported in making case-by-case adjustments for students in extraordinary circumstances,” Cal State LA spokesperson Erik Frost Hollins told The Epoch Times. “Similarly, deans and department heads are supported in making case-by-case adjustments for faculty and staff.”
The adjustments are allowed under the university’s current policy, Hollins stated. The school intends to have a “full and engaging on-campus student experience in the fall.”
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Heather Lattimer explained the university’s concerns about ongoing immigration enforcement operations in an emailed letter to staff and faculty on July 10.
“Recent events in the LA area—including the presence of heavily armed immigration agents in MacArthur Park earlier this week—have left many in our community concerned for their safety,” Lattimer wrote.
Mayor Karen Bass confronted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers as they gathered in MacArthur Park, a known gathering place for drug dealing and gang violence, on July 7. Federal officers from ICE and Customs and Border Protection appeared to be staging an operation while walking through the park, with some on horseback.
Bass has referred to the event multiple times in media appearances, calling it “outrageous and un-American.”
According to the provost, the university had heard directly from people who were scared to take public transit or drive to campus.
The school also acknowledged the six-month mark since the Palisades and Eaton wildfires disrupted the lives of many in the community, Lattimer stated.
“As a campus, we recognize the significant harm that has resulted from these events and reaffirm our commitment to supporting our students, faculty, and staff and prioritizing your safety and well-being,” Lattimer wrote.
Campus leadership did not want to go back to the online course schedule observed during the COVID-19 lockdowns but recognized there may be circumstances in which faculty would offer students an option of joining a class remotely via Zoom or turning in assignments remotely.
Faculty members were also told they could implement the missed class time and makeup policy, which allows them to consider various grounds for excused absences and provide students with a chance to make up their work, according to the letter.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents ride an armored vehicle down Wilshire Boulevard near MacArthur Park in Los Angeles on July 7, 2025. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
Staff and faculty were also given the option of working remotely for a limited time because of the “extraordinary circumstances” they faced, Lattimer wrote.
Southern California officials have continued to criticize the ongoing federal immigration operations in the sanctuary state.
ICE did not return requests for comment about the ongoing operations in Los Angeles.
