Ever heard of the University of Farmington in Michigan? Odds are you haven’t, because the school has no teachers, no classes, and no staff. There’s a single office building in the suburbs of Detroit. It had a social media presence on Facebook and Twitter (since deleted), but its photos appeared to be lifted from other universities. It was “established” in 2015.
Who was behind this fake university, and why did it exist?
As reported by the Detroit News, undercover Homeland Security agents used the fake university as a ruse to lure in undocumented foreign students who were seeking ways to stay in the United States. The premise was that these undercover agents were “helping” undocumented immigrants acquire false student visas.
Specifically, the agents were looking to catch recruiters offering to help foreign citizens obtain fake student transcripts in an attempt to acquire an F-1 visa. The F-1 visa is intended for foreign citizens who live in the U.S. as full-time students. But the Daily Beast reports, according to the allegations in the indictment, recruiters would “enroll” students in the fake university in exchange for money (some $300,000).
Homeland Security officials were pretending to be employees of the university as part of this scheme as recently as last month.
According to prosecutors, many of the students and recruiters charged were from India. As of right now, eight recruiters have been charged with participating in a conspiracy to help 600 foreign citizens stay in the United States illegally. Federal agents had arrested dozens of students on immigration violations as of Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Those arrested could face deportation.
This investigation heightened within a month of Trump taking office, surprising no one. The undercover operation, known as “Paper Chase,” started in 2015. As explained in the indictment, the goal was to find recruiters who were engaging in immigration fraud. By February 2017, Homeland Security agents were actively in on it, posing as school officials.
Here’s how the application process went down if you were a prospective student: To apply to the university as an international student, you’d be asked for personal and academic information (which is the norm). You’d also be asked for your passport number and a “copy” of your visa (not the norm that early in the process, as this information is obviously sensitive).
If you were looking to enroll at the university, it seemed pretty promising. Tuition cost $8,500 per semester for undergraduates, the school boasted a flexible schedule, and stressed a focus on STEM classes. The site described a university “located in the heart of the automotive and advanced manufacturing center of Southeast Michigan, the University of Farmington provides students from throughout the world a unique educational experience.”
In 2017, the sham university reportedly received a request from a recruiter to enroll a student who wouldn’t have to attend classes. Why? So the student in question could “fraudulently maintain his immigration status,” as reported by Detroit News. From there, the requests spread.
One indictment, unsealed this Wednesday, reads:
“Each of the foreign citizens who ‘enrolled’ and made ‘tuition’ payments to the University knew that they would not attend any actual classes, earn credits, or make academic progress toward an actual degree. Rather, their intent was to fraudulently maintain their student visa status and to obtain work authorization.”
Matthew Schneider, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said in a statement:
“We are all aware that international students can be a valuable asset to our country, but as this case shows, the well-intended international student visa program can also be exploited and abused.”
This sort of horrifying sting operation isn’t new. According to public records, federal agents used a similar method when they created the University of Northern New Jersey. In that case, they charged 21 people with work and student visa fraud. Later, students enrolled at this “university” told the New York Times they felt (understandably) deceived by the government.
The icing on the nauseating cake? The University of Farmington’s site claims that it’s accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges and, wouldn’t you know it, authorized by the Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program to accept foreign students.