US assures India of 'good judgement' in handling students case

WASHINGTON: In the wake of strong protest lodged by India over radio-tagging of Indian students duped by a California-based "sham" university, US immigration authorities have assured New Delhi that they would use "good judgement and common sense" while handling the case.
The assurance was given by John Morton, Director of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to Indian Ambassador Meera Shankar.

Morton called Shankar after the Indian embassy lodged strong protest before ICE and other US agencies against the manner in which hundreds of Indian students of the Tri Valley University were being treated by ICE, including forcing scores of them to wear radio tags and suspension of Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) that prevented them from taking admission in other colleges.

Indian officials here have argued that there is no need to radio tag students as they do not have any intention to flee the country and they all are here having valid visas.

"Efforts are on to ensure that people who are legitimate students are not affected," said an Indian official familiar with the discussions with the US officials on this issue.

Shankar is understood to have strongly taken up the case of Tri Valley students with not only ICE, but also Department of Homeland Security and State Department officials.

Objecting to the manner in which Indian students are being treated, Indian embassy officials have argued that these students need to be treated in a humane manner and should not be made a victim of the federal investigation against the Tri Valley University founder and President Susan Su.

Shankar, during her interaction with the US officials, had specifically told them that radio tags should not be used against Indian students and that the blockage of SEVIS be lifted immediately so that students can apply for transfer to other universities and given sufficient time for this.

Also students may be permitted to go back to India, without prejudice, and not deported and allowed in normal course to reapply for studies in the US at authorised universities, the US officials were told.

During the conversation, the US officials, including the ICE Director, are believed to have acknowledged that there are a lot of innocent victims, but did not rule out that there might be some students who were involved in this scam.

Sources privy to the discussions said the ICE Director assured Shankar that instead of seeing this entire case as purely a law enforcement measure, he would be using "good judgement and common sense" in resolving the issues related to the students.

US officials are believed to have assured Indian authorities that every effort would be made to ensure that the academic career of genuine students is not affected and they get ample opportunity and alternatives to pursue their goals.

At the same time, deportation proceedings might be started against some, the officials conceded.

It is understood that the US officials told Indian authorities that there is not going to be a general amnesty kind of thing, and issues related to Indian students would be handled on a case by case basis.