Page 5 - ARUBA TODAY

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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 10 december 2019
Feds defend creation of

fake school to fight visa fraud

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. the University of Farming- Farmington enrollees that
(AP) — Federal agen- ton in Farmington Hills was the school did not offer ac-
cies have pushed back legal and helped combat ademic or vocational pro-
against criticism that they visa fraud, the U.S. attorney grams of any kind.
entrapped hundreds of for the Eastern District of The individuals who en-
foreigners who enrolled in Michigan and head of the rolled in the University of
a fake school the agen- U.S. Immigration and Cus- Farmington did so inten-
cies opened in an effort toms Enforcement's inves- tionally," said Vance Cal-
to fight visa fraud, saying tigative division in Detroit lender, special agent in
those who enrolled knew said Friday in statements to charge of the Detroit office This 2017 handout photo provided by Matt Friedman shows an
they weren't signing up for the Detroit Free Press. of ICE's Homeland Security office for the University of Farmington in Farmington Hills, Mich.
a real school and that they "HSI special agents, as part Investigations, or HSI. Associated Press
only wanted a way to stay of this undercover opera- The students arrived in the
in the U.S. tion, made it abundantly U.S. legally, primarily from the fake university, which Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-
The undercover operation clear in their interactions India, and were on F-1 stu- enrolled more than 600 Cortez of New York, Sen.
that targeted students at with potential University of dent visa programs when foreign students studying Kamala Harris of California
they enrolled at the uni- science and technology. and Sen. Elizabeth Warren
versity that was covertly The Department of Justice of Massachusetts, who is
Census Bureau head says IT staffed by undercover referred to it as a "pay to running for president .
concerns are being remedied agents and had a fake stay" scheme. "This is cruel and appalling,"
website.
The Free Press reported in Warren tweeted about the
Nearly 80% of the 250 stu- November that the num- sting.
By MIKE SCHNEIDER infrastructure or software dents who were arrested ber of students who had "These students simply
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — In- inefficiencies, they were have voluntarily left the been arrested on immigra- dreamed of getting the
formation technology unable to perform at the country, according to ICE. tion infractions in the case high-quality higher educa-
problems at the U.S. Cen- scale needed to support Lawyers for the students had jumped to 250. tion America can offer.
sus Bureau have been peak recruiting for the 2020 have said they believe their The story drew widespread ICE deceived and en-
fixed or are in the process Census, the report said. clients were entrapped attention and several po- trapped them, just to de-
of being remedied, despite “There are sometimes some and did not know the litical leaders criticized or port them."
recent reports raising con- delays, but those delays school was fake when they raised questions about the The case "raises a number
cerns about the bureau’s are being remedied and I enrolled. sting. Among the critics of serious questions, and I'll
preparedness for the 2020 think we are in a great po- In January, federal prose- were several congressional be following up to ensure
Census, the agency’s di- sition, so we should have cutors announced that ICE Democrats, including Rep. they are answered," Slotkin
rector said Monday. everything operating very agents had secretly set up Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, said on Saturday.q
Census Bureau director well,” Dillingham said Mon-
Steven Dillingham said in a day.
brief interview with The As- In response to the Inspector
sociated Press during a visit General’s report, the Cen-
in Florida that the agency’s sus Bureau said last month
IT systems are undergoing that the report relied on an
“some tremendous test- “outdated” draft of a doc-
ing.” ument that was no longer
“There were some previ- current.
ous reports ... that have Separately, a news report
been overcome by events by Reuters last week said
in that we have made the a contractor-built website
progress needed in rem- for the Census Bureau was
edying them,” Dillingham hacked from IP addresses
said while visiting Orlando in Russia during 2018 test-
City Hall. ing of census systems. The
Dillingham was in Florida news agency cited two
to promote the Census Bu- unnamed security sources
reau’s efforts to recruit and who said there was no re-
hire as many as 500,000 sulting damage or stolen
temporary workers for next data.
spring’s 2020 Census. The The Census Bureau in a
once-a-decade head statement last week said
count is the largest peace- it was looking at the con-
time operation by the fed- cerns, “even though this
eral government. The peak story, as published, con-
recruiting season starts next tains inaccuracies and out-
month. dated information...”
An Inspector General’s re- “When it comes to IT secu-
port last month said the rity, we have been working
Census Bureau count could on that for years,” Dilling-
be hampered by under- ham said Monday. “We
performing computer sys- are working with the best
tems for hiring and payroll. minds in the private and
Because of inadequate public sector.”q