Cal State LA offers remote learning over ICE fears

California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) announced that it would allow professors to offer remote learning if they believe students fear that commuting to campus could lead to unwanted confrontations with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Provost Heather Lattimer sent a message to instructors on July 9 informing them of the remote option due to “extraordinary circumstances.” 

”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 stated.

“As a campus, we need to thoughtfully navigate these concerns as we seek to support all members of our Golden Eagle family,” she wrote.

[RELATED: University of North Florida signs ICE agreement to enforce immigration law]

“There may be circumstances where faculty choose to offer students facing extraordinary circumstances the option of joining an on-campus class remotely,” she continued.

Cal State LA communications official Erik Hollins told Campus Reform that the fall semester will include a remote option, with faculty “being supported in making case-by-case adjustments for students in extraordinary circumstances.”

Hans von Spakovsky of the Heritage Foundation emphasized in a statement to Campus Reform that “federal authorities can arrest and detain illegal aliens anywhere at any time.”

”By refusing to cooperate with ICE, colleges are telling their students that they don’t believe in the rule of law, that they support law breaking, and that obstructing law enforcement is acceptable behavior,” he continued.

There have been no ICE raids on the university’s campus thus far, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Cal State LA is not the only Los Angeles school to alter class arrangements due to immigration enforcement.

East Los Angeles College is offering 50 percent of its current course schedule online, citing the need to provide “support” for students, a college spokesperson told the Boyle Heights Beat.

On July 8, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass filed a class action lawsuit against the Trump administration over its immigration enforcement.

[RELATED: Rick Scott bill would cap foreign student visas, prioritize U.S. applicants]

“The City of Los Angeles, along with the County, cities, organizations and Angelenos across L.A., is taking the Administration to court to stop its clear violation of the United States Constitution and federal law,” Bass wrote in a news release.

“We will not stand by and allow these raids to continue or to become the standard operating procedure in our communities,” added Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto.

Campus Reform has contacted East Los Angeles College and the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.