india

Updated: Feb 03, 2019 00:05 IST

India on Saturday expressed concern at the arrest of 129 Indian students enrolled at a fake university in Detroit, and said in a demarche — a formal diplomatic note — issued to the US embassy in New Delhi that they shouldn’t be deported against their will.

The detention of the students, among 130 foreign nationals rounded up by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on civil immigration charges on Wednesday, is being taken “quite seriously,” people familiar with the development said on condition of anonymity.

“The issue of the students is quite different from that of eight people arrested on criminal charges such as visa fraud and they should be treated differently,” said one person. The people quoted above said the matter had the potential to become an irritant in bilateral relations.

The external affairs ministry said in a statement that the demarche had conveyed India’s “concern over the dignity and well-being of the detained students and the need for immediate consular access”.

“We underlined that students, who may have been duped into enrolling in the ‘University,’ should be treated differently from those recruiters who have duped them,” the statement said.

Read more| Indian embassy opens hotline for students detained by US authorities

“We have urged the US side to share full details and regular updates of the students with the government, to release them from detention at the earliest and not to resort to deportation against their will,” it added.

The US embassy spokesperson confirmed the receipt of the demarche.

“We refer you to the department of homeland security in the US for information on their status,” the spokesperson said.

The Indian government is upset at the way the students were treated following their arrest, including the fitting of tracking devices on the ankles of some to prevent them moving out of designated areas, the people quoted above said.

They said the manner in which the students were enrolled at the fake university, created by ICE to lure students allegedly trying to remain in the US, amounted to “entrapment”.

Attorneys have dismissed claims by US prosecutors that the students were aware the University of Farmington was running an illegitimate operation, saying they legally entered the country with student visas and transferred to the varsity to work.

The external affairs ministry statement said authorities were closely monitoring the situation and taking proactive measures. 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.

Indian missions are in touch with representatives of the Indian community and their associations to gather more information about the detainees. A 24/7 helpline has been established in the embassy in Washington for assistance and to answer queries. Aid from the Indian community has been mobilised to provide legal support.

The fake university was set up by ICE in the Greater Detroit area to bust a “pay-and-stay” racket. Over the past two years, the varsity enrolled about 600 students, mostly Indians. It held no classes and collected a nominal fee from students and gave them “curricular practical training” after their enrolment, providing temporary authorisation for practical training related to their study or to work.

The arrested students have been marked for deportation and will remain in ICE’s custody until immigration courts decide their cases, US officials said.