Performing Deputy Director Derek Benner addresses the general public misconceptions about ICE Homeland Safety Investigations’ use of undercover faculties – particularly the College of Farmington – to determine and disrupt makes an attempt by international college students and recruiters to use the nonimmigrant pupil visa system to stay within the nation via fraud.
Expensive Editor:
Over the previous few weeks, the College of Farmington (Farmington), an undercover investigation run by Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI), has been the main focus of a number of media experiences. These experiences mischaracterized the aim and rationale for the investigation, and I wish to set the document straight. HSI is chargeable for imposing greater than 400 federal statutes, together with legal guidelines associated to the coed visa system. An estimated 1.2 million nonimmigrant college students studied at greater than 8,200 U.S. faculties throughout 2018, selling cultural change, offering billions of {dollars} to the U.S. economic system, and contributing to analysis and growth. Criminals and a few college students, nonetheless, exploit the coed visa system, permitting international nationals to stay in the USA in violation of their nonimmigrant standing.
When a nonimmigrant pupil decides to enroll in a program of research in the USA, the coed should abide by U.S. legal guidelines and rules to take care of their nonimmigrant standing. Above all, their major objective whereas in the USA should be to review. Each nonimmigrant pupil is required to “make regular progress towards finishing a course of research” as a situation of sustaining their standing. In the event that they don’t meet that customary, they’re topic to arrest and elimination from the nation. The people who enrolled at Farmington, knowingly and willfully violated their nonimmigrant visa standing and consequently had been topic to elimination from the USA.
These people weren’t new to the U.S. pupil visa system; they had been acquainted with its necessities and their obligations. They secured visas to enroll in one other U.S. college, and had been already in the USA once they transferred to Farmington. As well as, previous to enrolling at Farmington, every potential enrollee was knowledgeable that there have been no courses, curriculum or academics at Farmington. Regardless of this, people enrolled as a result of they noticed a chance to keep away from any educational necessities and, as a substitute, work full-time, which was a violation of their nonimmigrant standing. Proof, together with video footage, audio recordings, and correspondence collected through the investigation helps that every potential enrollee knowingly and willfully violated their nonimmigrant standing.
Farmington is a transparent instance of a pay-to-stay scheme, which is towards the legislation and, not solely creates a harmful lack of accountability, but in addition diminishes the standard and integrity of the U.S. pupil visa system. Undercover investigations like this one present legislation enforcement an inside look into how these networks function, which was the first objective in establishing Farmington. The investigation offered HSI with a greater understanding of how recruiters and others abuse the nonimmigrant pupil visa system. This, in flip, informs and improves DHS’ efforts to uncover fraud at faculties, supplies perception into networks inside the USA that facilitate such abuse, and serves as a deterrent to potential violators each within the short- and long-term.
As sworn civil servants, HSI particular brokers will proceed to uphold the Structure and defend the nation’s borders and immigration legal guidelines. The principles and rules that govern the coed visa system assist defend the nation from people who search to abuse the system or stay illegally in the USA. HSI is chargeable for investigating these sorts of violations, which is exactly what it did by establishing Farmington to analyze a posh fraud scheme used throughout the nation to undermine U.S. legal guidelines and people’ security.
Sincerely,
Derek Benner, Performing Deputy Director, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement