Penn State students march through State College streets to protest ICE

After a weekend that saw more than 1,000 “ICE Out For Good” demonstrations across the country, including one in State College, about 100 people gathered Monday on Penn State’s Old Main Lawn and then marched through the streets to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The protest was organized by the Student Committee for Defense and Solidarity and endorsed by several other Penn State student groups in response to last week’s deadly ICE shooting in Minneapolis, according to social media posts. About an hour after the 7 p.m. event started, the group began to march in the streets on East College Avenue, to Burrowes Street and then onto Beaver Avenue.

The group blocked traffic on Beaver Avenue, holding signs like “ICE off campus” and chanting things like, “Say it once, say it twice, we do not put up with ICE.” From there, they marched down McAllister Street and back on to College Avenue.

At about 8:30 p.m., the crowd moved onto South Allen Street, blocking traffic and marching toward the State College Municipal Building.

After more than 15 minutes chanting outside the municipal building, where State College Borough Council was holding its regular meeting, the group started marching back on South Allen Street toward Old Main.

Despite the group holding up traffic Monday night, the hourlong march appeared to take place without incident. Two State College police officers tailed the crowd on foot but did not intervene.

“With the recent escalation of violence by ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, it’s become such a volatile situation in which we as a community need to come together and create these kinds of spaces to protect each other,” said Sergio Peña, a doctorate student at Penn State. “So I see this rally tonight as the space to gather the community and take a stand with our immigrant community members.”

State College Borough Council members react

Borough council members, some of whom attended Saturday’s protest, spoke during their meeting about ICE and the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good, who was killed Wednesday by an ICE agent in her vehicle near a Minneapolis ICE operation.

During their comments, the protesters’ chants could be heard from the council chambers.

Council member Matt Herndon said he attended Saturday’s gathering and noted the deep concern the community has about the shooting. Federal officials have claimed the officer who shot Good was “in fear of his life” and that Good attempted to hit the officer with the SUV. But witnesses and Minneapolis officials say video clearly shows she was trying to get out of the way, had no intention to hit the officer and never did.

“In council, we’ve already decried the killings of people like Melissa Hortman and Charlie Kirk, but this feels different, on a different level, because our own government did it, and our government is now trying to confuse what happened,” Herndon said.

He continued: “I’ve seen people say it’s not unusual for politicians to take factual liberties, and while this may be true for many, it does not have to be, and we should not accept it. Facts matter. The truth matters. We must demand the truth. There are multiple videos of this incident, and we can see with our own eyes a government agent shoot and kill an unarmed mother as she turned her vehicle to drive away from him.”

Calls for action in Centre County, beyond

Saturday’s protest at the Allen Street Gates was organized by Indivisible and drew more than 200 people, mainly residents above college-age, as Penn State’s spring semester started Monday and many students had not yet returned to town.

But protesters at both events shared a similar message, condemning federal immigration enforcement and demanding justice for Good.

“For me, the big thing with the Renee Nicole Good scenario is that every time I see somebody, or I talk to somebody, who’s justified what was done to her, I’m very aware that they could be talking about me at some point,” said Centre County resident Kathleen Miller, who attended Monday’s protest with her parents.

“I would suggest that if you’re seeing videos or things that are vague, or if it feels like there’s not enough information out there [on Good’s killing], inform yourself properly. Videos are being edited, but the right information is out there.”

Since Good’s death, protesters have continued to call for the removal of federal immigration authorities from local communities. Centre County has not been untouched by escalated ICE enforcement, a fact noted by local demonstrators.

About 24 people were detained by ICE on Aug. 19 during traffic stops on Interstate 99 and Route 220 near Bellefonte. The men were traveling to work at the construction site at Mount Nittany Medical Center, according to advocates.

Additionally, protesters voiced opposition against the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, which sits just mere miles away from Philipsburg. In December, the death of Eritrean man marked the second at the facility this year, and the third since 2023.

“Penn State and Centre County leaders must do their due diligence to the immigrant community here by backing the call for the shutdown of the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, an ICE detention facility located no longer than 30 minutes from where we stand,” an unnamed representative of the Penn State Latino Caucus said.

This story was originally published January 12, 2026 at 8:29 PM.