ICE Arrested 15 Foreign Students Accused Of Using The Visa Program To Stay In The U.S. Fraudulently

Federal immigration authorities for alleged education-related fraud have arrested 15 nonimmigrant students.

The arrests took place in a number of cities such as Boston, Houston, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and more. The 15 arrested allegedly claimed they worked for companies that did not exist. The arrests were announced in a press conference in Pittsburgh held by the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The arrests were part of a larger investigation into fraud related to the OPT program that allows nonimmigrant students to remain in the US as they do vocational work related to their field of study. The investigation is called “Operation OPTical Illusion.”

The OPT program allows international students to get real-world experience in their field either while they are still in school or after they graduate. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provides work permits to those in the program.

The only identifying information provided about the 15 were their nationalities: 11 from India, 1 Senegal, 1 from Bangladesh, and 2 from Libya.

Tony Pham, interim director of ICE, said his office must “strike a delicate balance between supporting and promoting legitimate academic opportunities for students while ensuring students and exchange visitor visas are not exploited by bad actors.”

Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli painted those who fraudulently use the OPT program as taking jobs away from Americans.