The United States (US) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has arrested around eight Indian or Indian-origin students for allegedly violating immigration rules, reports Detroit News.

Officials of the US Department of Homeland Security, under which ICE functions, used a fake university in Farmington Hills to attract international students who were allegedly trying to stay in the US illegally.

“Eight student recruiters were charged with participating in a conspiracy to help at least 600 foreign citizens stay in the US illegally, according to the indictments, which describe a novel investigation that dates to 2015 but intensified one month into President Donald Trump's tenure as part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration,” the story reported.

ATA Reaches Out

As the news of the arrests spread, the American Telugu Association (ATA), in a Facebook post, stated that it began dispatching its ATA Legal team and local ATA teams to reach out to the Indian Students Associations of various universities.

“ATA has contacted several attorneys and confirmed that arrest warrants for 600 students have been issued. 100 students connected to the Farmington University have been arrested. Eight educational consulting agents have been taken into ICE custody," the post said.

ATA members also met with the Indian Ambassador Harshvardhan Shingla and the Consulate General of India in the US, Dr Swati Vijay Kulkarni and briefed them on the ongoing issues and remediation efforts.

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