New Delhi: The United States authority has arrested 129 Indians for enrolling at a fake university allegedly to remain in the US, even as immigration attorneys claimed that the youths were not aware of the varsity’s illegitimate operation and criticised authorities for using “troubling” methods to trap them.
Ministry of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and her team are giving “top priority” to Indian students who have been arrested in the US for enrolling themselves in a fake university.
The US’ Department of Homeland Security recently carried out an undercover operation at the university in Detroit’s Farmington Hills designed to expose immigration fraud, according to federal prosecutors who announced charges in the case.
The Indian embassy in the US has opened a 24/7 hotline to assist the arrested students. The two numbers 202-322-1190 and 202-340-2590 would be manned by senior embassy officials round the clock, officials said.
While immigration attorneys said that the students were not aware that the university was operating illegally and illegitimately and criticised authorities for using “troubling” methods to trap them for profits, officials hold the students accountable, claiming that they” knowingly enrolled” themselves in the fake university to falsely maintain their student visa status to remain in the US.
After the undercover operation, US’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 130 foreign students, including 129 Indians, for immigration violations.
“The ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has administratively arrested 130 foreign nationals enrolled at the University of Farmington for civil immigration violations. Of the 130, 129 were Indian nationals,” Khaalid H Walls, an ICE spokesperson, told news agency Press Trust of India.
Federal prosecutors claim the students were aware the university was not running a legitimate operation. But attorneys who have spoken with students or with family and friends of those arrested are pushing back against the government’s claims.
“We are aware about this incident. We are ascertaining more details (through) our embassy in Washington and different consulates in the US…We have also mobilised the Indian community organisations in the US to extend all possible support to the Indian students who are affected by this incident,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
“The government of India, together with our mission in Washington and our consulates in the US are according the highest priority to the situation arising out of the detention of Indian students in the US,” Kumar said in response to queries.
“We have also placed a formal request for consular access, emphasising that the request may be taken as very high priority,” Kumar said.
