The Centre’s strong condemnation and removal pleas have fallen on deaf ears as the US refused on Monday to take off the ankle monitors Indian students duped by the San Francisco-based Tri-Valley university have been forced to wear. The university was shut down recently.
Seeking to justify the use of radio tags, the US embassy said such a process was common across America and was a standard procedure for a variety of investigations. It, however, clarified that the use of ankle monitors “does not necessarily imply guilt or suspicion of criminal activity”.
“An ankle monitor sends a radio frequency signal containing location and other information to a receiver. It allows freedom of movement and is a positive alternative to confinement during a pending investigation. The department of state is following this case closely and is in regular communication with government of India officials. The department of homeland security’s immigration and customs enforcement division is leading the investigation, and as an ongoing investigation it would be inappropriate to discuss further details at this time,” the embassy said in a communication.
Radio collars are often used to track animal movement. In India, endangered species such as tigers are radio-collared.
External affairs minister SM Krishna had reacted strongly on Sunday, terming radio-tagging of Indian students “inhuman” and “unacceptable” and demanded removal of the tags forcefully tied to their ankles.
The US department of state said it took allegations of immigration and visa fraud very seriously and the Tri-Valley university allegations were an excellent example of the universally-damaging effects of visa fraud.
The US immigration and customs enforcement departments have launched a helpline for Indian students affected by the closure of the Tri-Valley university in California.
The embassy said while the US government welcomed all legitimate students and strongly encouraged prospective students to protect themselves from predatory visa fraud rings and fraudulent document vendors, it clarified all visas were carefully vetted.
“Visa fraud hinders genuine students from studying in the US and causes opportunities and resources to be taken away from legitimate applicants. However, victims of fraud do have access to a variety of federal and state resources in the US - at minimum, each US state has victims’ assistance units to aid victims of crime, and a legitimate student who is a fraud victim should have little trouble re-applying and enrolling in a different, fully-accredited educational organization. If fraud victims choose to return to India first and apply for a new student visa, they will be treated the same as any other applicant,” the US government release said.
