Washington: All 130 foreign students, including 129 Indians who were detained for enrolling in a fake university, were aware that they were committing a crime to fraudulently remain in the US, the state department has said, days after India issued a demarche to the American embassy in New Delhi.
The foreign students were arrested last week by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for enrolling at the University of Farmington, allegedly to remain in America.
The fake university was set up by the DHS’s investigating unit in the Greater Detroit area, to bust the ‘pay-and-stay’ racket.
“All participants in this scheme knew that the University of Farmington had no instructors or classes (neither online nor in-person) and were aware they were committing a crime in an attempt to fraudulently remain in the United States,” a state department spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.
The state department’s response came after India issued a demarche to the American embassy in New Delhi on Saturday, expressing its concern over the detention of Indian students and sought immediate consular access to them.
The external affairs ministry said India continued to closely monitor the situation arising out of the mass detention.
Eight of the individuals who ran this racket have been arrested and are either Indian citizen or Indian-American.
The fake university which had no classes, a low tuition fee and gave work permits to the students, had some 600 students, majority of whom were Indians.
The actual number of those detained is much higher. Some of the students who were released and many of those who escaped detention, have left the country.
A number of Indian students have been radio-tagged and authorities have put restrictions on their movement.
Also Read: India Issues ‘Demarche’ to American Embassy on Detention of Indian Students in US
The Indian Embassy here has made an effort to reach out to these students and is providing them with legal help, with due support of the community leaders.
Renowned Indian-Americans and some media outlets have questioned the modus operandi of the US government in the detention of Indians in the ‘pay-and-stay’ university visa scam, expressing that trapping of innocent students is a crime, illegal and immoral.
In the first reaction, days after the story broke out, the state department claimed that “more than a million international students study at US institutions each year, including some 1,96,000 Indian students who studied last year. Instances of fraud schemes are rare, unfortunate aberrations in the proud history of educational exchange between the United States and India.”
The US government fully supports international education and is committed to facilitating legitimate student travel, it said in a reference to the panic that created by the latest US move. Meanwhile, new reports tell that students are now considering the option to study in other countries and not the US.
“International students are a valuable asset to our universities and our economy and enrich our communities by sharing their diverse perspectives, skills, and experiences,” it said, acknowledging that Indian students not only bring in about USD 6 billion per annum but also become instrumental in the creation of multiple jobs in the US.
“It is unfortunate that some student recruiters and individuals seek to use the international student programme to foster illegal immigration status in the US,” the state department said.
Overseas friends of BJP (USA), in a statement, said that it was shocked to learn that 129 students of Indian origin were arrested by the ICE, with about 600 students fate in jeopardy.
“It is very unfortunate that several students are affected by this University and majority are Telugu students. Most of these students have joined to get their work permits without knowing that this college is not accredited and became victims of this. Their dreams are shattered now,” North America Telugu Association said.
The association has advised other students not to fall into the trap and instead work hard and get Optional Practical Training (OPT)/ Curricular Practical Training (CPT) from reputed universities as per the official guidelines.
“If some university is offering a CPT without any course, it is not true at all,” it said.
The Indian embassy in the US has also opened a 24/7 hotline to assist the 129 Indian students. It has appointed a nodal officer to help the students in distress.