California institutions are starting to treat immigration enforcement raids like the Covid-19 pandemic, telling employees, patrons, and residents they can stay home instead of going to the office or church.

A news station at Los Angeles, KTLA, reported Thursday that the California State University at Los Angeles is allowing professors to move classes online because students have expressed fears about commuting to the campus and taking public transportation amid the immigration raids.

The university also informed faculty that they can arrange for additional excused absences or make-up work, and that faculty members can also work remotely. 

A spokesman for the university, Erik Hollins, told the Sun, “Faculty are being supported in making case-by-case adjustments for students in extraordinary circumstances. Similarly, deans and department leads are supported in making case-by-case adjustments for faculty and staff. These are all individual adjustments we can make within current policy.”

Mr. Hollins added, “Importantly, we do intend to have a full and engaging on-campus student experience in the fall.”

The decision prompted backlash on social media. The assistant news director at Florida’s Voice, Eric Daugherty, wrote on X, “The entire LA area is basically treating enforcing immigration law like COVID!”

Another user asked, “Are the majority of LA county residents illegal aliens?”

“Democrats are addicted to virtue signaling,” another person said on X. 

Amid the Trump administration’s push to ramp up deportations and several enforcement operations that have garnered significant media attention — including recent raids at two marijuana farms — several institutions in California have taken steps similar to the measures implemented by local governments when Covid tore through the country five years ago. 

The mayor of Perris, Michael Vargas, posted a “public service announcement” on social media.

“Stay at home and do not open the door to strangers,” Mr. Vargas said. “This message is for awareness and safety.”

The Department of Homeland Security responded to Mr. Vargas’ message in a statement, saying, “Elected officials choosing to fearmonger by distorting reality are doing a great disservice to our country.” The department added that people who are not in the country illegally should not be afraid of the deportation operations. 

On Wednesday, the bishop of the Archdiocese of San Bernardino, Albert Rojas, issued a decree similar to those issued during Covid that released Catholics from the “obligation” to attend Mass if they had a “genuine” fear of the deportation efforts.

The decree did not have a set duration; it only said that it would be rescinded when the “circumstances necessitating this decree are sufficiently resolved.”

The Trump administration’s border tsar, Tom Homan, harshly criticized the move, telling the Daily Wire on Wednesday, “This is BS.” Mr. Homan said he does not “know of a single incident of a church arrest.”