Washington, D.C. (August 28, 2024) – A new Center for Immigration Studies report highlights dangerous gaps in oversight within America's foreign student program, as evidenced by a recent case involving a foreign student from India who fabricated his way into the United States and earned a full-ride scholarship at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. The fraud was not uncovered by the U.S. government but rather by a Reddit moderator who reported the student's online confession. The student is now in ICE custody and faces deportation.
Jon Feere, the Center’s director of investigations and author of the report, said, "Widespread fraud compromises America’s foreign student program and national security. This recent case of a foreign student lying his way into the United States is a wake-up call for comprehensive changes. We cannot depend on Reddit moderators to catch what our government should be preventing in the first place."
Key findings:
- The Reddit Confession: The Indian student, Aryan Anand, openly admitted on Reddit to fabricating his educational background and cheating his way through the U.S. immigration and academic systems. His fraud would have gone undetected if not for his public confession.
- National Security Risks: With over 1.5 million foreign students in the U.S., and 7,417 schools certified by DHS to enroll them, the system is vulnerable to fraud, which poses a significant threat to national security.
- Lack of Resources: ICE and its SEVP (Student and Exchange Visitor Program) are struggling to manage the increasing number of foreign students and schools, without a corresponding increase in resources to track compliance and prevent fraud.
Key concerns arising from this case:
- Inadequate Verification: Fake educational documents easily passed through the State Department, DHS’s SEVIS student-tracking system, and Lehigh University’s admissions program without raising suspicion.
- Unregulated Foreign Schools: U.S. universities lack the capacity to verify the legitimacy of foreign schools that applicants claim to have attended and their academic credentials.
- Employment Fraud: Anand violated visa regulations by securing an internship with a fake resume, undetected by U.S. authorities or his university.
Urgent reform is needed in the U.S. foreign student program. Without stronger oversight and collaboration between government agencies and universities, more cases like this will continue to threaten national security.
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