The United States has assured India that innocent students of the fake Tri Valley University would get an opportunity to 're-adjust' their status or transfer to other US universities, the government said on Wednesday and expressed confidence that all such students would be relocated. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told Parliament that India had asked the US government that students, who were themselves victims of fraud, should be given adequate time and opportunity.
The United States expressed concern over any activity involving visa fraud, as several Indian students of a California-based University shut down by authorities on charges of illegal immigration were interrogated.
At least one Indian student has been arrested in a countrywide operation in which hundreds of Indians may be victims or participants in an elaborate fraud scheme involving a California university.
Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao has written to United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asking her to view the cases of over 1,000 Indian students affected by the "sham" Tri-Valley University with "understanding" and in a "fair" manner.
Much before the Tri-Valley University scam that affected many Indians was exposed in the United States, the American Consulate in Mumbai had expressed concern over the steep jump in lesser qualified student visa applications, a leaked US diplomatic cable has said.
Diplomats in Washington, DC, San Francisco, and other places have expressed their disquiet at the way Indian students have been treated like potential fugitives--even criminals--only because of irregularities in the way their university was run. It is not clear how much success they have had in helping Indian students, who are still paying thousands of dollars in bail.
As radio-tagging of scores of Indian students duped by a 'sham' United States university continues to cause anger back home, the controversial institute has claimed that one of its Indian-origin staff was responsible for the immigration fraud and it was not directly involved in it. Breaking its silence, the California-based Tri Valley University, which was shut down in January, termed as 'baseless' the allegations of immigration fraud against the institute.
The US sought to justify the use of ankle monitors on the students, duped by now closed Tri-Valley University, saying it was widespread across America as a standard procedure for a variety of investigations and does not necessarily imply guilt or suspicion of criminal activity.
After being duped by a California-based "sham" university, scores of Indian students in the United States are now enduring the ignominy of being forced to wear radio collars around their ankles so that authorities can keep track of their movements.
Indian origin lawyers Kalpana Peddibhotla, Neha Sampat, Daljit Dhami, Vineeta Gajwani and Anoop Prasad were awarded at the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California's 19th annual gala held on March 30 in San Francisco, US.
Humiliating treatment of stranded Indian students of the scam-hit Tri Valley University in the United States has left their families back home seething with anger and worried about the future of their wards.
Duped by an American university, a harassed group of Indian students has met the Consul General in San Francisco seeking help to complete their studies and claimed that they have not violated any law.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Sunday strongly condemned the reported forcible wearing of radio collars around the ankles of Indian students in the Tri-Valley University in United States and demanded severe action against those responsible for the 'inhuman act'. "We demand the US government initiate severe action against officials responsible for this inhuman act. Indian students are not criminals. The radio collars should immediately be removed," he told reporters.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday assured External Affairs Minister S M Krishna that the issue of Indian students enrolled in the Tri Valley University would receive her promptest attention and that 'justice' would be done in the matter. Clinton gave the assurance in the matter during a 40-minute telephonic conversation with the visiting Indian minister. Clinton has asked Indian Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar to meet her on Monday and provide all the details.
United States immigration authorities have removed radio tags from the ankles of two Indian students from California-based Tri Valley University, which has been shut down on charges of massive visa fraud.
The president of the California-based Tri-Valley University, Susan Xiao-Ping Su, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on the allegations of visa fraud and money laundering that affected nearly 1,500 Indian students.
A visa scam at Tri Valley University in California, that has affected hundreds of Indian students, is just the tip of an iceberg and a large number of such institutes exit in the United States, a probe report has said.
The United States has said it is currently focusing on the reinstatement of those students not implicated in the ongoing investigations into the visa scam by the California-based Tri Valley University.
More than 50 per cent of the Indian students hit by the closure of California-based Tri Valley University are at various stages of processing for the reinstatement of their visa status. The Indian mission has been informed by the United States authorities that more than 50 per cent of the students were at various stages of processing for reinstatement, embassy's spokesman Virander Paul said.
The United States Immigration and Custom Enforcement has removed radio tags from three more Indian students of the now shut down Tri Valley University in California and also returned their passports. Susmita Gongulee Thomas, consul general of the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, said the ICE has returned the passports of these three students along with the two others, from whom radio tags were removed last week.
"Following the telephonic conversation between the External Affairs Minister of India and the US Secretary of State on February 13, the Indian Ambassador on Tuesday conveyed to the Secretary of State details on the issue of the Indian students at Tri-Valley University," Indian Embassy spokesman Virender Paul said in a statement.
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.
The United States has assured India of providing 'fair solution' to Indian students affected by the shut down of California-based Tri Valley University, which has been accused of a massive visa fraud.
The Indian Consulate in San Francisco and the South Asian Bar Association will hold a free legal camp for Indian students who have been affected by the alleged immigration scam of Tri-Valley University, which was closed by the federal investigating agencies last week.
Apparently seeking to cool tempers over Indians being tagged in the United States, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Tuesday said the issue should be understood from the "larger perspective" that over 1.8 lakh Indians are studying there and the matter relates to "12 or 18 students".
The state government is looking at legislation to ensure that there is better regulation when it comes to visa consultants. There will also be a thorough scrutiny of existing agencies so that such incidents do not occur in the future, government sources said.
Four students of Indian origin have been served probation sentence and community service.
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