Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Higher Education Immigration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Millersville University tells council visa revocations have been flagged through municipal records; about 60–75 international students enrolled this semester
Summary
University officials told Millersville Borough Council that student visa revocations are increasingly detected via local records (for example unpaid parking fines), prompting daily record checks and additional student outreach; the university estimates about 60–75 students on visas this semester and announced upcoming events.
Dr. DeSantis, a Millersville University official, told the borough council that the university has observed an emerging interaction between municipal records and federal student‑visa enforcement that has led to at least one recent visa revocation for a student and may have flagged other students at neighboring institutions.
"The interplay between state and local records now and our students' federal visa status is beginning to become, or at least is rearing its head," Dr. DeSantis said, describing cases where unpaid municipal fines — including parking violations — have contributed to flags in student records used in federal checks. He said the university has no legal authority to prevent federal visa revocations but has increased daily monitoring of records to notify and support affected students academically.
Dr. DeSantis told council members the university currently has "around I think it's 62 this semester" students who hold visas; he also noted additional students on other immigration statuses such as green cards or refugee status. The university official said staff now review student records daily and will notify students if a revocation appears so the institution can provide academic support.
DeSantis also briefed council on campus events and programming: Millersville's fifth annual Sustainable Development Goals conference on June 5 will focus on reducing community and school violence and will feature a state-level speaker from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. He said the university has sold 15 of 25 seats for an artificial‑intelligence training program being offered to municipal and regional partners and that 10 seats remain.
The university representative asked council members to be aware of the issue so municipal offices do not inadvertently cause student visas to be flagged (for example through unpaid municipal fines) and to avoid being caught off guard if a student’s immigration status is revoked.
The council did not take action on the item; the presentation was informational and intended to increase municipal awareness and coordination with campus services.
