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University of Farmington

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The University of Farmington was a fake university set up in 2015 in Michigan by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to expose student visa fraud in the United States.[1] The sting operation,[2][3] code-named "Paper Chase", was overseen by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Over 600 individuals were identified in the operation, many of whom face deportation from the United States for visa violations.[4]

University of Farmington
MottoLatin: Scientia et labor
TypeFake university
Active2015–2019
Location
Farmington Hills
,
Michigan
,
U.S.
Websitehttps://universityoffarmington.edu/

The sting was disclosed to the public on January 30, 2019, with The Detroit News[5] reporting that the DHS and ICE HSI had arrested eight "recruiters" of Indian nationality and charged them on grounds of visa fraud and harboring aliens for profit. In total, the recruiters allegedly made more than $250,000 from the university in compensation.[6][7] By early February 2019, 130 students (129 of whom were from India)[8] from multiple cities had been arrested for violation of immigration laws, and were subject to deportation if convicted.[9][10] In March 2019, ICE announced that 161 students had been arrested in total.[11]

According to prosecutors, the students enrolled in the university solely to maintain their student-visa status and lengthen their stay in the US,[9] despite being aware "that they would not attend any actual classes, earn credits or make academic progress towards an actual degree."[2] However, the students' attorneys noted that the university had been listed as a legitimate school on the Department of Homeland Security website.[12]

University

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Secondary logo used by the "university"

The University of Farmington's headquarters was in the basement of the North Valley office complex located at 30500 Northwestern Highway in Farmington Hills.[13] Its website claimed to "provide students from throughout the world a unique educational experience" and contained academic program details. It also claimed to be accredited by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges and was also apparently authorized by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program to admit foreign students.[1][14] According to The Times of India, there was hardly any way for prospective students to distinguish the institution from a real university, at least from its web presence.[15] The university had a Twitter presence and the university's website featured program details, tuition pricing, and updates such as bad weather alerts.[16][2] The yearly fee for undergraduates was $8,500, significantly lower than many other US institutions.[17][18] The university did not have any instructors or actual classes.[2]

According to Matt Friedman, who worked in the same complex, the university had no classrooms and he never saw anyone there.[7] Other people who worked in the same building doubted the prosecutors' contention that everyone was willfully involved, claiming to have seen students arriving with backpacks and attempting to inquire about the university.[15]

Aftermath

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Immediately following the disclosure of the sting, Ravi Mannam, an immigration lawyer based in Atlanta, criticized the operation as "misleading" and accused the government of utilizing "very questionable and troubling methods to get these foreign students to join the institution", since some students were under the impression that their enrollment was being made in a legitimate program.[2][9] Similar concerns have been echoed by various Indian news publications.[10][19][20]

The same week, India issued a démarche asking for the immediate release of the students and requesting against any non-voluntary deportation.[21] Some of the students were apparently released after an intervention by the Indian Consulate, which has also opened a hotline.[22]

All of the students who were hired as Farmington recruiters were criminally charged and pleaded guilty.[23] They faced jail time followed by deportation with a bar on re-entering the U.S. in the future.[23] Of the student enrollees, immigration authorities by the end of 2019 had arrested around 250 people, followed in some cases by deportation, though others contested.[23]

In 2020, a lawyers for Farmington students as a class filed suit against the U.S. government in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims for breach of their contract, arguing that their tuition fees of around $11,000 a year were essentially stolen.[24] The suit asked for the money back and punitive damages.[24] The claims court dismissed the suit in 2022, claiming lack of jurisdiction,[24] but in June 2024, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reinstated it.[24] The panel argued that the government was "engaged in the sale of services",[25] and that the lead plaintiff "was unaware that the University was not a university at all...,but the government neither provided the paid-for education nor gave [him] his money back".[24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Noori Farzan, Antonia (January 31, 2019). "ICE set up a fake university. Hundreds enrolled, not realizing it was a sting operation". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e Mervosh, Sarah (January 31, 2019). "ICE Ran a Fake University in Michigan to Catch Immigration Fraud". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Warikoo, Niraj (January 30, 2019). "Farmington Hills fake university set up by ICE to nab foreign students". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  4. ^ Sudhir, Uma (January 31, 2019). "8 Indians Caught In Visa Scam In US Undercover Op, Many Face Deportation". NDTV.com. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  5. ^ "Feds used fake Michigan university in immigration sting". The Detroit News. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  6. ^ Raj, Yashwant (January 31, 2019). "Hundreds of Indian students face jail, deportation in US college scam". Hindustan Times. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Snell, Robert (January 30, 2019). "Feds used fake Michigan university in immigration sting". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  8. ^ "US visa fraud case: Fear, anxiety grip parents back in Andhra". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  9. ^ a b c "US fake university sting angers India". BBC News. February 3, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  10. ^ a b "ICE fake university: 'It's entrapment', say Indians reacting to news of 130 students arrested across 20 US cities". Firstpost. February 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  11. ^ Warikoo, Niraj (March 8, 2019). "ICE arrests more students at fake university, others being removed from US". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  12. ^ "ICE arrests 90 more foreign students at fake university created by DHS in Michigan". USA Today. November 27, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  13. ^ "The University of Farmington". web page. Internet Archive. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. ^ "Factoids". The University of Farmington. January 31, 2019. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  15. ^ a b "US fake university racket: Students had no way to check Farmington's authenticity". The Times of India. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019. [copy on archive.org of an article originally hosted at https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/students-had-no-way-to-check-university-of-farmingtons-authenticity/articleshow/67823186.cms]
  16. ^ "The University Of Farmington Isn't Real. It's A Complex Federal Sting Operation". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  17. ^ Lakshman, Sriram (January 31, 2019). "Indians arrested, students detained in U.S. on visa fraud charges". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  18. ^ "Indians studying in a fraudulent university arrested". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  19. ^ "Students were handcuffed like criminals & taken away". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  20. ^ "Indian body fumes at DHS 'bait & catch' move against students". The Times of India. February 3, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  21. ^ "India issues demarche to US on detention of students: Officials from the Indian embassy and consulates in the US visited several detention centres and about 30 students have so far been contacted by consular officers". Hindustan Times. New Delhi. February 3, 2019.
  22. ^ "Indian Embassy Opens Hotline For 129 Students Detained In US Visa Scam". NDTV.com. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  23. ^ a b c Redden, Elizabeth (December 9, 2019). "A Fake University". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  24. ^ a b c d e Warikoo, Niraj (July 3, 2024). "Students at fake university in Michigan created by ICE can sue US, court rules". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  25. ^ Somasundaram, Praveena (July 4, 2024). "Students who enrolled in fake school ICE used in sting can sue, judges rule". Washington Post. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
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