A high-ranking Penn State official and local government leaders this week offered support and concern for the university’s international students as some have been caught up in the Trump administration’s vast effort to terminate the lawful status of visa-holders nationwide.

“Here at Penn State, we have more than 11,500 international faculty, staff, and students — vital members of our community,” Tracy Langkilde, interim executive vice president and provost, wrote in a letter to the university community. “Their unique perspectives, expertise, and experiences enrich our learning environment and cultural life.”

“A number of” F-1 visa holders at Penn State are among those nationwide who have been told they must leave the country, Langkilde wrote. She noted that according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators, “there is no clear pattern or trend in terms of nationality,” and the situation is “causing great anxiety and distress for each individual affected, and for our broader community.”

Langkilde came to the U.S. on a postdoctoral visa and said she understands both the value of international experience and how the uncertainty international students are facing must feel.

“Our commitment to our international community and appreciation for their important contributions made at Penn State have not faltered,” Langkilde wrote. “Penn State is providing individualized support for every student we know to be impacted by this action.

“In every case, Penn State Global reaches out directly to the impacted student to discuss their situation and connect them with appropriate resources, whether these be legal support, academic support, or counseling and mental health support. We are working with each student to provide them with tailored care to meet their needs and to honor their privacy.”

Penn State first reported in early April that some students had their visas revoked, and since then, Penn State Global “has been supporting our students in all the ways that it can,” according to Langkilde.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has terminated the legal status of more than 1,500 F-1 international students at more than 240 colleges and universities nationwide, according to Inside Higher Ed.

Penn State has not disclosed how many of its more than 9,000 international students university-wide have had their visas revoked.

Those affected at Penn State have been notified they are supposed to self-deport, and Langkilde wrote that, despite rumors otherwise, the university is aware of no Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other federal law enforcement activity on any of its campuses.

DA Aware Of 22 Students Told To Self-Deport

District Attorney Bernie Cantorna said on Thursday that he was aware of 22 foreign-born students living in Centre County who had their lawful status terminated in recent weeks, including 12 in the last week.

None had been convicted of a crime, nor did any have a prior criminal record, Cantorna said. Two were charged with driving under the influence, one with possession of a small amount of marijuana, and the rest with shoplifting.

Some were in diversionary programs, and those who weren’t had only just been cited and had not gone to court yet, he said.

Cantorna became aware of the terminations, he said, when students in diversionary programs began contacting the Centre County probation office about completing community service in their home countries.

“These students aren’t thumbing their noses,” Cantorna said. “They’re receiving an email and promptly buying a plane ticket and leaving the country, and they’re saying, ‘I want to complete my program and do my day of community service.’”

He added that his office is crediting students with community service hours for the time and effort they undertook to leave the country.

“We’ll say ‘You did this travel and spent a bunch of money to voluntarily self-deport. We’re going to give you credit for that travel,” Cantorna said. “If some kid just had to self-deport and spends a day traveling back to their home country on their own, I think that’s worth community service credit.”

He was unsure how the 22 individuals came to the attention of immigration enforcement, but said it may have been through the National Crime Information Center database after they were charged.

“I would hope there isn’t some federal officer somewhere looking at our local docket, because that would be a poor use of law enforcement resources,” he said.

Cantorna said his numbers are only a “snapshot” of what his office has seen, and only Penn State would know how many of its students have been affected.

It appears that not all those told to self-deport had been charged with a crime. StateCollege.com columnist Russell Frank reported on one doctoral student who was notified on April 4 that her legal status had changed. She said the only reasons she could think of were that she once forwarded a pro-Palestinian post on social media and that she had let a car registration lapse.

“We’re letting a very bright scientist leave the country,” the student’s faculty adviser, Margarita Lopez-Uribe, told Frank.

‘A Climate Of Fear’

State College Borough Council President Evan Myers started council’s meeting on Monday night by addressing the visa terminations and broader immigration actions by the Trump administration.

He said at the recent APIDA (Asian Pacific Islander Desi American) Festival in State College, “there was palpable fear in the air.”

“Those fears are real and have fueled many rumors of the presence of ICE and other federal enforcement agencies,” Myers said. “Visas have been revoked locally. The Centre County DA has said that visas that have been revoked, even though people have not been convicted of any crime. He said he’s never seen anything like this. Never, ever. State College must be very careful what we even accuse people of. Once their names get out, they may lose everything.”

Individuals and institutions, he said, need to “take a stand.”

“What is happening is just wrong,” Myers said.

State College Mayor Ezra Nanes said he has spoken with people on campus and in the community who have seen the direct impact of the visa revocations.

“They’re without warning, they’re without justification, and they have created a climate of fear and threat that many are feeling,” Nanes said. “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’re not wanted here. And that is truly devastating.

“So I just wanted to say, as mayor of State College, and I know everybody seated here would agree, you are wanted here. The international students and families who come here bless this community with their presence, and we are grateful for their presence here. You enrich all of our lives. You are wanted here, and we are here to support. We will support you in any way that we may.”

State Rep. Paul Takac, D-College Township, said he was “alarmed” by the reports of students having their visas revoked.

“I am deeply troubled by the xenophobic and anti-immigrant rhetoric and actions of the Trump administration. It is not only unjust, it is un-American,” Takac said in a statement. “The sudden termination of legal status due to political expression, minor infractions, or otherwise mysterious circumstances violates our shared values of free speech, justice,e and due process. The targeting of international faculty, staff, or students erodes trust in our communities and diminishes our standing in the world.”

Takac added that he is engaged with university leaders and law enforcement and is “committed to doing everything in my power to ensure that we live up to our highest ideals and adhere to strict legal standards and precedent.”

“And while we know of no current ICE actions to date on campus or in our community, I — along with other elected officials and university leaders — remain vigilant,” he said.

Penn State Provides Guidance & Resources

In a letter to the university’s international community on April 3, Sabine Klahr, interim vice provost for Penn State Global, wrote that if anyone is approached by ICE or other federal law enforcement officers on campus, they should alert University Police at 814-863-1111.

“You should remain calm and ask for identification,” Klahr wrote. “If the officer produces identification and a signed warrant, you must comply with their orders. You do, however, have the right to remain silent. Bystanders should not attempt to interfere with the actions of the federal law enforcement officers.”

Students, scholars, and faculty on visas are also advised to carry documentation of their legal status when traveling in the United States and to review travel information for their visa type if traveling outside of the United States.

The university is offering several resources for international students:

• Community Updates – International Students / Immigration-Related Guidance
• International Students, Scholars, and Faculty Immigration Resources
• Reference Guide for Interacting With Federal Law Enforcement
• Penn State Law list of resources

“I continue to be proud and humbled to be part of the Penn State family that cares so deeply for one another,” Langkilde wrote this week. “And it’s especially important in times like these that we continue to show compassion and empathy to those around us. Thank you for caring and for supporting one another.”