Local police and federal agents took a Penn State graduate student into custody last week for an unknown violation of immigration policy.

Jianwei Wang, 29, of the 100 block of East Clinton Avenue, was arrested March 8 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and Penn State University Police officers, and was placed in Centre County Prison.

Bill Riley, assistant special agent in charge of the case, said he could not give the reason Wang was arrested because it is an "administrative matter."

Lt. John Perryman of Centre County Prison said yesterday that Wang was released to immigration agents Tuesday.

He added that he was not aware of the location to which Wang was moved.

Riley said that in general, individuals are taken into custody by the ICE if they commit criminal offenses or violate the terms by which they are allowed to stay in the country -- referred to as an administrative matter.

"The whole deportation procedure is administrative," he said, adding that Wang's case would be heard by a judge within the ICE and not in criminal court.

Riley said administrative cases include individuals who enter the country legally but stay too long, start working while here on a student visa or have a previous criminal record.

University police said Wang was scheduled to go to Philadelphia prior to a hearing. Supervisors who could comment further about the arrest were out of the office last week, Officer Dwight Smith said Thursday.

Riley said any hearing would be handled by the agency's court in York. He said he was unaware whether a court date was set as of late Friday.

Wang is a graduate student in the materials science and engineering program.