Centre County elected officials react to student visa revocations at Penn State
Several elected officials in Centre County are sharing their support for Penn State’s international community as some students have had their visas revoked.
At least 22 students — who were not convicted of any crimes and were in diversion programs — have had their lawful status revoked, the Centre County district attorney said earlier this week. A Penn State administrator said the university isn’t aware of any federal law enforcement activity, such as ICE, on campus related to this.
Tracy Langkilde, interim executive vice president and provost, said Penn State is providing support to every impacted student they are aware of. But the fear and anxiety the situation has brought to campus is palpable. State College Borough Council President Evan Myers felt that fear in the air while he attended an Asian Pacific Islander Desi American celebration last weekend.
“Those fears are real and have fueled many rumors of the presence of ICE and other federal enforcement agencies,” Myers said during Monday’s council meeting. “... Individuals can take a stand, but institutions need to do the same. What is happening is just wrong.”
Penn State is one of at least 240 colleges and universities across the United States that have seen legal statuses revoked for some of their international students and recent graduates, according to Inside Higher Ed. This comes as the Donald Trump administration has made immigration one of its top priorities. As NPR reported earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. would revoke visas from students who engage in protests against the war in Gaza.
During a recent visit to State College, U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., responded to a question about student visas being revoked but didn’t directly address what was specifically happening at Penn State. Overall, McCormick said immigration to the U.S. has helped drive growth, opportunity and innovation — but added that illegal immigration has presented its own challenges.
“So my view on this is we need to do two things at the same time: Be very rigorous in enforcing our immigration law, securing the border, making sure that the people here are good actors. There’s been people on legal status that have stolen state secrets, that violated campus research principles and so forth,” he said. “And, at the same time, continue to evolve and reform our legal immigration process so we can still continue to be that bright, shining light on the hill. And I think we can do both of those at the same time, but it has to start with enforcing the law.”
State College Mayor Ezra Nanes addressed the issue head-on during Monday night’s council meeting. He said he’s heard concerns from people at Penn State and within the community who are affected by this, and he has seen the impacts of the visa revocations.
He reassured the community that international students and families are wanted and welcomed in the borough.
“(The revocations are) without warning, they’re without justification, and they have created a climate of fear and threat that many are feeling. But almost worse than that — if something could be worse than that — is that people in this community, international students and their families, who play a vital role in the economy, the culture of this town, who help us be who we are, they are feeling that they not wanted here, and that is truly devastating,” Nanes said.
State Rep. Scott Conklin (D-Rush Township) echoed that sentiment, saying he’s troubled by the visa revocations happening at Penn State, especially when the students haven’t been charged with any crimes.
Due process should always be given, Conklin said in an email.
“The district attorney’s office was aware of these individuals and was handling the cases in a manner consistent with longstanding precedent. Penn State is our window to the world, and we can ill afford to disregard the judgment of local officials who have been successfully dealing with these issues for years,” Conklin said.
Conklin’s statement came about a week after colleague and state Rep. Paul Takac (D-College Township) referred to the visa revocations as “un-American.” Takac, who has the University Park campus in his district, has been engaged with university leadership and law enforcement, and he said he’s monitored federal actions and policies.
“The targeting of international faculty, staff, or students erodes trust in our communities and diminishes our standing in the world,” Takac said in a written statement.
The Centre Daily Times reached out to other elected officials in Centre County, including U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Howard), state Sen. Cris Dush (R-Brookville), state Sen. Wayne Langerholc (R-Richland Township) and state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff (R-Bellefonte) for comment on the visa revocations and asked if they supported the action.
Benninghoff declined to comment, saying it is a federal issue, and Thompson, Dush and Langerholc did not respond. Thompson also declined this month to participate in a livestream Q&A on local impacts of federal action hosted by the CDT, with reader-submitted questions. His office did not respond to a request for an interview on the same topic.
This story was originally published April 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
