Since President Trump took office for his second term a little over a year ago, it’s been hard to ignore the recent uptick in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. This has sparked protests and online chatter all around the country, including in Centre County.

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, in Pennsylvania, ICE arrests have risen from 1,850 from Jan. 20 to May. 20, to 3,615 from May. 21 to Oct. 15. On a national level, arrests are at a record high. CBS notes as of Jan. 15, “ICE was holding about 73,000 individuals facing deportation in its custody across the country, the highest level recorded by the agency and an 84% increase from the same time in 2025.”

As arrests increase, so does the organization’s budget. CNN reports, “ICE and Customs and Border Protection spending on weapons and related expenses increased more than 170% in 2025 compared to the previous year.” 

The One Big Beautiful Bill notably allocated $45 billion for building new immigration detention centers and $29.9 billion toward ICE’s enforcement and deportation operations.

But one of the main points of contention is ICE agents’ aggression. 

“The rules of engagement have changed to hit the quotas of arrests. … And as the White House has said, the gloves are off,” Jason Houser, a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief of staff during the Biden administration, said.

Similarly, CNN reports, “Critics say the administration’s goal of 3,000 arrests per day is one reason the government’s tactics are becoming more combative,” and “[ICE officers have] tossed tear gas canisters into crowds they deem riotous and unruly, fired pepper balls at protesters and tackled onlookers.”

“It’s less of what they’re doing because the idea of deporting immigrants, as they say, illegal immigrants…I’m not all the way against that…but it’s the way that they’re doing it and the violence that they’re taking and the way that they’re being so extreme about it,” freshman Natalia Andrews said. “That makes me question our constitution and question what we’re doing as a nation right now to be okay with doing that to people.”

Additionally, ICE arrests and protests have become more deadly. In Minneapolis alone, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were shot and killed by ICE officers within a span of three weeks. In total, 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025, making it ICE’s deadliest year in almost two decades.

Despite this, Trump held firm on ICE’s actions. In a recent CBS interview, when asked about videos showing car windows being smashed, tear gas in residential neighborhoods, and ICE agents tackling a young mother, Trump asserted these raids haven’t “gone too far,” saying, “I think they haven’t gone far enough.”

“ICE and CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations to prioritize the safety of the public and themselves,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “Our officers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and regularly receive ongoing use-of-force training.”

However, these tactics have sparked concern, as data increasingly shows that despite federal claims to target “the worst of the worst”, the majority of people in ICE detention have no criminal convictions. According to the CATO Institute, only 5% of people detained by ICE have violent convictions, while 73% have no criminal convictions. 

Yet, the organization’s tactics have continued to develop. Unmarked vans, masks, and unidentified officers have become a calling card of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. According to CNN, “Officers conducting immigration arrests have been observed on the streets wearing a wide range of attire, including militaristic camouflage, plainclothes and uniforms referencing different federal agencies.”

The recent killing of Good, a 37-year-old US citizen, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis has sparked a new wave of protests. On Jan. 12, around 200 State College residents gathered downtown to protest ICE and memorialize Good. On Jan. 24, Pretti, another 37-year-old US citizen, was shot and killed by an ICE agent after being tackled to the ground.

In the wake of the shootings, anti-ICE protests across the U.S. have called for “no work, no school, no shopping” on Jan. 30 as part of a nationwide strike to oppose the Trump administration’s unpopular immigration crackdown. A few businesses in Centre County closed or pledged to donate proceeds to groups supporting immigrants. 

Sophomore Eliza Bowman wrote “ICE OUT” in large letters on her hand to honor the strike.

“Since I had to come to school, I thought that maybe I could just do something, you know what I mean? To do what I can, even if it’s not a ton, but it still is something, you know? I need to bring attention to the issue, because I feel like it is something very prevalent right now, something that people should be aware of,” Bowman said.

Evan Myers, the president of the State College Borough Council, says the main response from State College residents is fear.

“We have a large immigrant community living in this region…in State College in particular, because of the university. There are either a number of immigrants who have become U.S. citizens or legal residents…whether they are professors or whether they are students. And there’s a lot of fear,” Myers said. “Folks are afraid of what’s going to happen to them. They see pictures of people dragged out of their homes, even American citizens dragged out of their homes…for no reason. They see little kids snatched off the street, a five-year-old kid the other day. So they’re afraid.”

Andrews expanded on this fear and how most people she has observed in the community are scared for others. 

“I think living in a place like State College, Pennsylvania, I don’t know many people that are scared for themselves, but it’s more people that are scared for their family, their friends, their neighbors. And just knowing that no one’s really safe anymore is scary,” Andrews said.

“[My brother] asked what they were protesting…And he was like, well, a lot of my friends aren’t from this country. And so I think even people, like, even kids who [are in] in elementary school are scared for their friends,” Bowman said.

Andrew shared an experience about a friend of Bowman and hers, and how ICE has impacted their lives.

“Someone that we know had a job, and they had to stop working, because they weren’t technically legally here, although they went to university at Penn State, they were forced to stop working because of that,” Andrews said. “Everything altogether is kind of snowballing into such a vast situation that’s going on, you know? And it just continues getting larger and larger, and then the fear with that is just getting larger and larger with it. And it’s just so unnecessary in a way. And scary and appalling, obviously.”

Myers speaks on behalf of the Borough Council, expressing his disdain for the tactics ICE is using and how that is impacting residents of Centre County.

“We stand for human rights,” Myers said, “And one of the basic human rights is the right to be able to live your life free of fear and intimidation. And I think there’s too many people that are living their lives with that fear locally today.”

All in all, ICE tactics and arrests have escalated across the country, sparking fear and anger among Centre County residents. State High and Penn State students alike are bringing attention to recent events by protesting and spreading awareness. Many residents emphasized the fear they have witnessed and felt on behalf of their neighbors and friends.