In the latest from the arrest of 129 Indian students in the United States, the State Department has said that 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 statement came 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.
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“All participants in this scheme knew that the University of Farmington had no instructors or classes (neither on-line 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 citizens or Indian-Americans.
The fake university which had no classes, a low tuition fee and gave work permits on the very first of the enrolments of the students had some 600 students, an overwhelming majority of whom are 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.
An unknown number of Indian students have been radio-tagged and authorities have put restrictions on their movement.
The Indian Embassy in Washington has made an aggressive effort to reach out to these students and, with the help of the community leaders, is providing them with legal help.
The Indian embassy in the US has opened a 24/7 hotline to assist 129 Indian students. It has appointed a nodal officer to help the students in distress.
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(With agencies input)