129 Of 130 Arrested In U.S. Visa Fraud Scheme Are Indians

In the evolving case of the University of Farmington sting operation, 129 of the 130 arrested “students” are Indian nationals, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in an email. One of them is Palestinian, Voice of America quoted official sources as saying.

“Of the 130, 129 were Indian nationals. These individuals have been placed in removal proceedings, and ICE will seek to maintain them in its custody pending the outcome of those proceedings,” the email from ICE said.

Three indictments, unsealed on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit, charged eight individuals of Indian origin with recruiting students (the Detroit Free Press had reported that number to be around 600) to keep their immigration status in the U.S. valid and provide them with work permits by abusing the F-1 student visa scheme and associated curricular practical training (CPT) opportunities.

The eight accused at the centre of the alleged scheme were arrested earlier this week.