Radio tag is least of the problems; their status in US is the foremost one’

[Interview of Shah Peerally for Pravsit Today}

Indian students of the now-infamous Tri-Valley University have found themselves embroiled in the middle of a controversy, with no fault of theirs. Immigration Attorney Shah Peerally, in this e-mail interview with Amit Guinexplains the controversy and suggestions for the students and their parents

Q) Can you explain to our readers the Tri-Valley University controversy?

On January 18, 2011, Tri-Valley University, an institution in Pleasanton, California was shut down by the federal government for allegedly committing immigration fraud and issuing “bogus” immigration forms I-20s permitting students to get a student visa to the United States.

Prior to and after the raid, the enforcement unit of Department of Homeland Security, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) started questioning many of the students regarding their visa status. Many students were told that their visas are no longer valid. So far, most of the students have not been reinstated back to other schools. The investigation is ongoing. Others were placed in deportation, some kept in custody for a brief period of time and some were placed into “ankle bracelets” ISAP monitoring.

The federal government has not issued any clear guidance so far about how to treat the students. Lawyers are being faced with the dilemma of representing clients without having a clear path how to handle such cases. In fact, there is no consensus in the legal community how we should tackle the problem. Each lawyer is offering different approach.

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