Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The Indian community, especially the regional people from Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, are helping students facing uncertainty with the closure of Tri-Valley University in Pleasanton, California.
“We have been been approached by Tri Valley University students after shutting down by Department of Homeland security for help,” American Telgu Association (ATA) Secretary Ram Mohan Konda said. “There are about 1,000 plus students who suffered with this shutdown.”
“We have provided legal help through law firm within the legal boundary those who have come legally to this country,” Konda added, noting that the students are “very panicked and they are undergoing very big stress.”
The Indian diplomats have met in Washington D.C., New York, Chicago and at least three times in San Francisco with hundreds of affected students who are afraid to identify themselves to the media.
According to officials there is little hope for these students except for the choice to go back home voluntarily and then reapply without prejudice or the other difficult option is to convince the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) to let them transfer to another university.
“Such requests would be treated on a case by case basis,” said an Indian official.
If not satisfied with the ICE decision, the students have a further route to knock on the doors of U.S. legal system.
There is a small percentage of students who are being investigated and in some extreme cases the US authorities will initiate removal proceedings according to the official.
The biggest obstacle to an amicable solution is the fact that these students are spread out in U.S. states as far as Virginia, Maryland, Illinois and New York, thousands of miles away from California, the campus of the university where they are supposed to stay and attend classes to quality for the appropriate visa.
Konda disclosed that the ATA has approached Congressman Al Green with details to seek help and also handed the same letter to Consul General of India, Sanjiv Arora.
Without disclosing identity, one student said that the “process of incentives like getting a 20 percent rebate if one brings another student and freedom from attending regular classes,” brought droves of students through word of mouth, thus explaining – 90% of them from India, mostly from Andhra Pradesh.
Asked to comment on the subject, PJ Crowley, the State Department spokesman told journalists, “Regarding Tri-Valley University, we take these allegations of immigration and visa fraud very seriously. These allegations are an excellent example of the universally damaging effects of visa fraud.”
He, however, added that ICE “established a helpline for the Indian students affected by the closure of Tri-Valley University in California.”
Indian diplomats, however disclosed their hectic efforts to get the students the option of transferring to other universities or returning home without prejudice and reapplying without any negative assessments against them.
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