17 detained students to return from US in fake university recruitment case

Hyderabad: Seventeen students, all male and a majority of them Telugus, who were detained by the US Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), have been allowed voluntary deportation after spending more than two weeks in jail in the fake university student recruitment case.

The students will be leaving Detroit city, Michigan, on Wednesday to travel to India. Out of the 130 detained, 40 students have been issued voluntary departure letters over the weeks. A source informed this newspaper that the students hired lawyers individually at a cost of $2,000.

The Telugu community in America informed informed the Deccan Chronicle, “Out of the 17 students, eight were lodged in the Michigan Monroe Centre and the rest in Detroit. For the eight students who appeared before the court in Michigan no attorney was hired by the Consulate. However, all eight students were given the option to review and fight back but they asked for voluntary departure and that was granted.”

However, until their departure they will have to stay in the county jail.

The students were told by their lawyers that if they intend to return to the US on a valid visa, they won’t face any legal issue.

The judge clearly stated that a visa in the home country will be given and the students need not depend on the consulates.

Satyanarayana Reddy Kandimalla, president of the American Telangana Association, said, “Hundreds of students detained are in distress. About 20 of them are lodged in two different detention centres in Michigan and over 100 across 30 centres. Almost all the students are opting for the voluntary departure and are hoping that they are not barred from re-entry to the US. We have repeatedly appealed to US officials of the detention centres to provide them with decent facilities. We are working on getting the remaining students help by law so that they can leave the country as all their friends and family members are worried.”