Over the past several weeks, dozens of international students at Penn State have been told to leave the United States after having their visas revoked, despite having no formal charges, court hearings or convictions. Many students were first informed of their visa revocations through Penn State, not federal agencies, and were given very little time to respond.
Across the country, over 800 international students have had their visas revoked, including 22 in Centre County who have had their SEVIS records terminated and immigration statuses rescinded. Some of these terminations were triggered by offenses as minor as citations or first-time diversions, with no conviction or guilty plea.
These students aren’t thumbing their noses, said Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna. 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.”
In some cases, Cantorna’s office has even adjusted sentences in recognition of the disruption and the students’ forced departure.
“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…’ I think that’s worth community service credit,” stated Cantorna.
Revocations Without Conviction
Despite assumptions that visa revocations are tied to serious criminal behavior, many of the students impacted had no prior record. Some were in the process of completing diversion programs or had received minor infractions that did not lead to charges. Still, the State Department has increasingly relied on broad discretionary power to revoke visas regardless of the possible future outcomes in court.
Attorney Dustin Baxter is representing over 100 international students who had their visas revoked across universities in Georgia and spoke to CNN on the process.
Not only would they revoke the person’s student visa – even if there was no conviction, if there was just an arrest, and sometimes there wasn’t even an arrest, there was just an encounter and maybe a ticket – they would revoke the student visa, Baxter explained.
Adding to the confusion, visa holders are rarely notified directly by the Department of State as they do not publicly comment on individual visa cases. The State Department’s Foreign Affairs Manual states that “The Department may revoke a visa when it receives derogatory information directly from another US Government agency, including a member of the intelligence or law enforcement community.”
This policy allows a visa to be revoked without formal charges if another U.S. agency provides information that questions the visa holder’s character or conduct. In 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that visa revocations cannot be appealed, and in doing so, reinforced a legal structure that allows the federal government to make these decisions unilaterally.
The Debate on Immigration Enforcement
At the national level, the policy behind these revocations reflects a shift toward more aggressive immigration enforcement. Proponents argue that such measures will help to ensure national safety and uphold the integrity of immigration law, even in the absence of convictions.
My view is we need to do two things at the same time: be very rigorous enforcing our immigration law, securing the border and making sure the people here are good actors…while at the same time continuing to evolve and reform our legal immigration process,” said U.S. Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA). I think we can do both at the same time, but it has to start with enforcing the law.
This approach has raised concerns that the U.S. is prioritizing swift enforcement over due process, even in cases where students are actively cooperating with courts or participating in diversion programs in good faith. The implications of these premature decisions stretch beyond Centre County and question how international students will be treated nationwide across campuses in the years to come.
Campus and Local Support
In response, Penn State officials have made efforts to stand by their affected students. Interim Provost Tracy Langklid emphasized in an April 15 letter that:
“We are working with each student to provide them with tailored care to meet their needs and to honor their privacy,” Langklid wrote.
State College Mayor, Ezra Nanes, shared that he’s been approached directly by people experiencing fear and uncertainty.
What they are expressing to me is a climate of fear and threat that’s prevailing communities impacted by that, Nanes said. I’ve had people reach out to say they’re scared and don’t feel welcome here.
While local leaders can do little to intervene at the federal level, Nanes reaffirmed that the town’s commitment to its international population remains strong.
International students, families, business owners, they are all critical here. The way we are being proactive is understanding what is in the power of the borough to do and what is not. But we want to make sure we’re supporting our community, Nanes stated.
As the number of international students whose visas get revoked rises, many in the Penn State community and beyond hope for greater transparency and a return to stability for those who came here simply to study and succeed. Share your thoughts @VALLEYmag on Instagram.
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