University officials said that rumors on social media last week alleging that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly known as ICE, would be targeting Cal State LA are “unsubstantiated” and “false.”
In a system-wide email sent on Thursday, Feb. 20, university officials said that there is “no evidence that these claims are true.” Officials said they are aware of similar claims targeting other universities and public schools, and added that “the purpose of these false claims appears to be the spread of panic and fear.”
The unverified rumors spread from a series of anonymous posts submitted by students to the Instagram page CSULATruth. Contributors alleged that, according to classmates and some professors, raids by ICE might potentially happen on or near campus in the near future. The posts were removed after the university sent the system-wide email.CSULATruth told the University Times that because the page received “more than one independent student report of the same event, on the same day, at the same time,” the page deemed the information credible at the time and posted about the reports.
“The post was made in an effort to share what students were reporting their professors had shared in classes,” CSULATruth said. “There were two notifications included in the post, both in the first slide and the caption, stating that this information was reported and unverified.”
Some posters claimed that the information originated from professors in the Psychology department. Psychology department chair Heidi Riggio told the University Times that faculty did hold a meeting on Thursday, Feb. 13 to discuss the overall climate and what to do in the event of being approached by immigration officers in accordance with university guidelines.
She said there was no discussion about specific operations that would be taking place on campus.
“I did not direct any faculty to engage in any actions regarding raids, we simply discussed the matter as it is affecting our students’ feelings of safety,” Riggio said.
The University Times reached out to the Office of Communications and Public Affairs for additional comment, to which the email statement from Thursday was reiterated.
Fear of raids by immigration police are not without cause, as the Trump Administration has ramped up deportation operations since the start of Trump’s term. A leaked document obtained by the L.A. Times in early February claimed that ICE may be launching a “large scale immigration action” near the end of the month. Publicized raids have previously taken place in New York and Chicago.
Notably, the Trump Administration rolled back restrictions that prevented ICE from conducting raids near sensitive locations, which include schools, hospitals, and places of worship. In Los Angeles, people posing as federal agents were reported trying to enter some public schools. Public schools have distributed red cards to students informing them of their rights.
There were reports that ICE began its “knock and talk” operations on Sunday, but news outlets reported that action did not appear as widespread as initially predicted. It is unclear if there will be future operations from ICE soon.
The University Times requested comment from ICE on the Sunday operations as well as any planned actions targeting universities or public schools, but did not get back a response.
Cal State LA officials have provided cards to students and faculty informing them of their rights if approached by officers. Students do not need to respond to any requests made, and may ask for the officer’s name, identification number, agency affiliation, and contact information if approached.
They are also instructed to inform the designated campus officials, Blanca Martinez-Navarro or Victor Rojas, and direct officers to visit the Welcome Desk at the Student Services Building to meet them. If the officer does not leave, contact Cal State LA Public Safety at 323-343-3700, or 911 if concerned about your physical safety.
To learn more about resources, the Cal State LA response to immigration police, and to learn about your rights, visit calstatela.edu/immigration.
