USC allows ICE, CBP to attend virtual recruiting event
Tomo Chien
February 03, 2026
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, and these are the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.
1.
Lawyers from the Department of Homeland Security will join a virtual recruiting event hosted by USC’s law school later this month. The decision to allow ICE and CBP recruiters to attend the program sparked an open protest letter circulated this morning, though Dean Franita Tolson defended the event, calling it “virtual and voluntary.”
2.
In case you missed yesterday’s alert: A prominent USC neuroscientist sought funding from Jeffrey Epstein years after the financier pleaded guilty to Florida sex crimes. Antonio Damasio said he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes and wouldn’t have approached him in 2013 had he known.
3.
The longtime dean of USC’s engineering school will step down from his post in July. Yannis Yortsos, generally considered one of the good guys on campus, will return to a faculty role after a 21-year run as dean. Executive Vice Dean Gaurav Sukhatme will lead Viterbi in the interim.
4.
LA is sometimes stereotyped as lacking culture, but a New York Times critic argued that couldn’t be further from the truth. The Times compiled a list of the region’s must-see art attractions, which include well-known museums like the Getty Villa, and plenty you probably haven’t heard of, like the Wende Museum in Culver City.
5.
Great news for Morning, Trojan: The California Post ripped off our rankings of USC frats and sororities (a career milestone for any journalist). Great news for USC Greek lifers: The story is decidedly vanilla for the unabashedly racy tabloid, although the sparse comments section is expectedly deplorable.
