INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightUS GovtImage caption
The website for the fake university has since been closed by government officials
India has made a diplomatic protest to the US after 129 Indian students were arrested for enrolling in a fake university.The
University of Farmington, advertised as based in Michigan state, was run by undercover agents from the Department of Homeland Security to
expose "pay-to-stay" immigration fraud.Prosecutors say those who enrolled knew that the facility would be illegal.However, Indian officials
say the students may have been duped.On Saturday, the Indian ministry of external affairs (MEA) issued a "demarche" to the US embassy in
Delhi, expressing concern over the arrests and demanding consular access to those detained."Our concern over the dignity and wellbeing of
the detained students and the need for immediate consular access for Indian officials to the detainees was reiterated," the ministry said.It
said the students could have been tricked into enrolling and should be treated differently to any recruiters who may have duped them."We
have urged the US side to share full details and regular updates of the students with the government, to release them from detention at the
earliest and not to resort to deportation against their will," MEA added.Meanwhile a telephone hotline for worried relatives of those being
held has been set up at the Indian embassy in Washington, the Times of India reported.The US embassy in Delhi confirmed it had received the
demarche but made no further statement.It is not the first time US authorities have run such an operation
In 2016, 21 people were arrested after immigration agents set up the fake University of Northern New Jersey
Most of the foreign nationals involved in that scheme came from China and India.In the latest sting, a website for the University of
Farmington showed pictures of students in classes and libraries or relaxing around a grassy campus.It advertised tuition for undergraduates
copyrightReutersImage caption
In 2016 the University of Northern New Jersey was a ruse run by federal agents
But court papers released last week showed that the employees of the University of Farmington were undercover agents for the Immigration
and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE)
The "campus" was an office at a business park in a Detroit suburb.The fake facility was set up in 2015 to try to catch foreign nationals who
had initially travelled to the US on student visas and wanted to stay in the country, US media reported.The indictment, filed in the
District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, said the students knew the scheme was illegal."The university was being used by foreign
citizens as a 'pay to stay' scheme," prosecutors said.According to the Detroit News, many of those arrested now face deportation
Eight who allegedly acted as recruiters face federal conspiracy charges for helping at least 600 foreign nationals stay illegally, it added.
