129 Indians have been arrested by the US authority on Friday after they enrolled themselves in a ‘fake’ university in order to retain their student visa to stay in the US.

According to the federal prosecutors’ charges regarding the case, the university in Detroit’s Farmington Hills was part of an undercover operation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designed to expose immigration fraud. Termed “pay-to-stay” scheme, the prosecutors have alleged that students knowingly enrolled themselves in the fake university to maintain their student visa status to remain in the US. However, the attorneys of the arrested students, after a conversation with the students and their families, have refuted the government’s claims.

“The ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has administratively arrested 130 foreign nationals enrolled at the University of Farmington for civil immigration violations. 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,” an ICE spokesperson said.

Sushma Swaraj and her team at the Ministry of External Affairs have been giving top priority to the arrested students. The Indian embassy in the US has opened a 24/7 hotline to assist them round the clock. Students across the country, in New Jersey, Atlanta, Houston, Michigan, California, Louisiana, North Carolina, and St Louis, have been arrested.

For queries and assistance related to the detention of Indian students in the US, please contact our special 24/7 helpline. pic.twitter.com/iorYgZ5cxX

— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) February 2, 2019