Electronic tagging is back to haunt students once again in the United States.
Two students from the Tri-Valley University, which has been shut down on charges of a massive visa fraud, were radio-tagged in Virginia on Tuesday following a meeting with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at Prosperity Avenue in Fairfax.
"We thought the ICE agents would question us and let us go. But after waiting for four hours they asked us to go to another facility that was located a few blocks away. They sent us there to put on a GPS voice-tracking device; we were shocked," Shestha Bijaya, one of the students told to rediff.com.
He said he was issued with a Notice to Appear but was lucky to be spared from wearing the ISAP (Intelligent Shelf Alarm Panel) device after he informed them about his pregnant wife. "I pleaded and begged. But the authorities said they could not let me go without GPS tags. After I explained that my wife is pregnant and if she sees the GPS device she would get worried, they called for a supervisor and let me go," he added.
But the other two students who accompanied Bijaya were not spared and were asked to fear the ankle tags.
"We thought the Indian government is helping us, but it looks all messed up and is creating confusion," said Bijaya.
Bijaya has been asked to report to the ICE office every 15 days and the authorities will visit his home every month.
