Immigration coverage: What to know
Know your rights | Resources | How to help | Groups tracking ICE | How parents can prepare | Photos | Our approach | Full coverage
Amid rising fear of immigration enforcement, at least one college on the Eastside is expanding its remote learning options, responding to concerns from students who feel anxious about attending in-person classes.
At Cal State L.A., Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Heather Lattimer has allowed faculty to teach classes online, after hearing “directly from individuals who are scared to take public transit and fearful of driving to campus.”
In a letter addressed to faculty last Wednesday, Lattimer pointed to policies that allow professors to offer excused absences and opportunities to make up work. According to the letter, staff and faculty will also be allowed to work remotely “for a limited time due to extraordinary circumstances they are facing.”
“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.
According to the Los Angeles Times, there have been no reported raids on the campus.
Erik Frost Hollins, a spokesperson for Cal State L.A., said that faculty “are being supported in making case-by-case adjustments for students in extraordinary circumstances.” Deans and department heads will be making similar accommodations for faculty and staff, he said.
ELAC offers legal resources, monitors ICE concerns
At East Los Angeles College, administrators say they are monitoring the situation and remain committed to supporting their students, particularly those who are undocumented.
“As of this moment, there have been no ICE raids or deportations reported on the ELAC campus,” said Kevin Jimenez, a spokesperson for East Los Angeles College. “Our current course schedule already offers approximately 50% of classes online, providing flexibility and support for our students.”
Jimenez also noted the school’s partnership with the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), which provides legal assistance to immigrant students. “Our priority is to ensure that all students feel safe and supported while pursuing their education at ELAC,” he said.
Amy Bentley-Smith, a CSU spokesperson, said in a statement that faculty have a level of flexibility within existing policies in how best to support students who are “experiencing hardships that may impact their level of education.”
Boyle Heights Beat has not heard back from the Los Angeles Community College District on whether faculty at their campuses are operating similarly.
Calls for flexibility extend into fall
As uncertainty continues, some students and faculty are also beginning to look ahead to the fall, unsure whether these flexible measures will remain in place.
Students at Cal State Northridge recently launched an online petition that calls for administrators to offer classes online or provide other alternatives, “so that students and university faculty are not in danger at the hands of ICE and the Donald Trump regime.”
Cal State L.A. journalism professor Julie Patel Liss said that, “this is something we as professors will need to evaluate this fall, especially for the lecture and basic writing and reporting courses.”
“It’s difficult, if not impossible, to teach and do some aspects of content production virtually — whether it’s video, audio or investigative and data journalism — but keeping our students safe is obviously a priority,” she told Boyle Heights Beat.
Alouette Cervantes-Salazar, the coordinator for ELAC’s Dream Resource Center, has noticed a drop in the number of high school graduates who normally stop by the center in the summer for guidance about their fall schedule.
Since immigration enforcement operations intensified across L.A., Cervantes-Salazar said, she has heard from students who originally enrolled for in-person classes for fall and are now seeking to switch to online classes. While the center continues to get queries by phone, Cervantes-Salazar said, it plans to offer more programming and workshops through Zoom.
Cervantes-Salazar recently got a call from a student who needed help filling out forms required under AB 540, a law that allows eligible students, including those who are undocumented, to receive in-state tuition at California public colleges and universities.
“It’s much easier in person where we can fill things out,” she said. However, she added, an undocumented student may be scared to set foot on campus.
“He doesn’t want to leave his house, which I totally understand,” she said. “What we’re going to do is, we are meeting on the phone … and we’re going to go line by line. I’m going to tell him exactly who to send it to, and what to do to follow up.”
Cervantes-Salazar pointed to the Dream Center’s motto, “As long as there’s breath, there’s hope.”
“We see ourselves as a place where students can come and ask questions and not be judged and just feel like they can receive information,” she said.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 1:30 p.m. on July 16, 2025, to add a statement from a CSU representative.
Our approach to immigration coverage
At Boyle Heights Beat, we believe local journalism is a public service rooted in care, truth and accountability. In moments like these—when immigration enforcement brings fear, uncertainty and urgency—our mission is to inform, uplift and protect our community through accurate reporting, ethical storytelling and deep listening.
We know we can’t cover everything, but we remain committed to ongoing immigration coverage that reflects the needs and values of our community. We’ll be working closely with community organizations and residents on the ground to help verify information, respond to unfolding events, and ensure our reporting is responsible and informed by those most impacted.
Read more about those efforts here.
If you have a tip or a story that needs to be told, email editor@boyleheightsbeat.org or reach us on Instagram. To support our reporting, donate here.