FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Inside an office building on Northwestern Highway in Farmington Hills is where agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement staged offices for their University of Farmington, a fake university they planned to use to expose student visa fraud.
Federal agents created bogus documents to make the scheme appear to be a legit university.
"They advertised it on social media and online as a university that had been around for 50 years," said Anna Nathanson, one of the attorneys representing the students in a lawsuit against the government. "They started advertising it and and recruiting for it, specifically targeting international students from India who already had student visas."
Watch our February 2019 story on India criticizing the United States for University of Farmington immigration sting:
One of the students, Prudhivi Raj, said he and others expected to take online classes and had no reason to believe it was not a legit university.
"They set up a fake university like a Hollywood movie. Everything was completely set up," he told 7 News Detroit.
His admission letter read:
"You were chosen from the largest and most competitive applicant pool in the institution’s history for this opportunity. On behalf of myself and our faculty, students, and alumni - congratulations and welcome to the global community that is the University of Farmington!"
Federal agents posing as university officials even spoke to the foreign students on the phone, encouraging them to pay their tuition for additional semesters even though the classes never materialized.
"Whenever we asked them, they said there would be classes soon," Raj said.
Watch our January 2020 coverage of undercover recordings revealing ICE tactics in fake university sting:
Nathanson said federal agents kept offering up excuses, stringing the students along and continuing to take their money.
"ICE is still holding onto the $6 million that were accumulated in tuition fees," Nathanson added.
Nazim Mohammed paid $10,000 in tuition and when he was asked to pay for a second semester without classes for the first semester ever starting, he began to question the university and even tried to transfer to another school, which is a necessary element of being in the United States on a student visa.
But Mohammed was denied a transfer.
"The issue is you can't transfer universities unless the officials at your current university sign off on it," Nathanson said. "And the undercover ICE agents refused to sign off on their transfer requests they received."
The truth about the University of Farmington was eventually revealed when ICE agents began knocking on the doors of hundreds of foreign students who had signed up for the University of Farmington.
"I was shocked and scared because I'm an alien here. I didn't know what to do," Raj said, adding that he was so nervous his body was shaking.
Mohammed said he was at the grocery store when his landlord told him ICE agents came by looking for him. He said he quickly gathered up his documentation and went to talk to agents, figuring there must be some sort of mix-up.
The students were deported back to India. Federal agents did not return the money the students paid for tuition.
Watch our January 2019 coverage about the students being detailed:
"Money is one thing, right? It's about the shame we had to go through," Mohammed said.
Students reported long bouts of depression when they returned home where some reported being treated like criminals.
Raj said it was his family and his church in India that helped him through two years of depression.
The lawsuit, which alleges the government breached its contract with the students, reads:
"Defendant purported to offer admission to the University, including access to classes and advanced degrees. Plaintiff and other students indicated their acceptance of the offer of admission and provided consideration for the contract by paying tuition and other fees in the amounts of $10,000 to more than $15,000. The United States breached the contract when it failed to provide the offered classes and degrees.
"Defendant, operating and controlling the University, breached the terms of its standardized contracts with Plaintiff and the Class by failing to provide them with the promised products and services as contracted."
The lawsuit was filed in 2020 and had been thrown but the U.S. Court of Appeals recently decided that it can proceed.
The students and their attorneys are seeking the return of the tuition fees and reinstatement of their lawful visas.
"I absolutely think their visas should be reinstated," Nathanson said. "And having spoken to dozens of foreign students, that's what they say would help them get their lives back on track."
Prudhivi said, "We lost our time and money and mental health because of this operation."
7 News Detroit reached out to Homeland Security for comment. We are awaiting a response.
