Twenty-one people who allegedly helped more than 1,000 foreign nationals fraudulently obtain student visas were arrested this morning by federal agents in a nationwide sweep. On Tuesday, that operation resulted in the arrests of 21 people, the United States attorney for New Jersey, Paul J. Fishman, and Sarah R. Saldaña, the director of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announced at a news conference here. The federal agents created diplomas and other school documents to give the "students" records to show employers and immigration officials, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said. In the sting operation, brokers or recruiters from New Jersey, California, Illinois, Georgia and New York helped 1,076 individuals get student visas, even though they had no intention of going to school. To help catch the alleged criminals, HSI federal agents set up a fake university, called the University of Northern New Jersey (UNNJ), that provided work authorization for hundreds of "students." The university was housed in a building in Cranford and even had a Facebook page, but in truth was set up as a "Pay to Stay" sting by a team of federal agencies. "The University of Northern New Jersey was just another stop on the pay-to-stay tour," said Fishman. They also allegedly also used UNNJ to fraudulently obtain work authorization and work visas for hundreds of their clients. At least 21 people who allegedly took payments to help foreign nationals enroll in the "university" did, and they were charged Tuesday with committing visa fraud, conspiracy to harbor aliens for profit and other charges, federal prosecutors announced. "They did not know, nor did they care one wit, as to the students who were coming in what purposes they came into the country for and if they had any ill intent," said ICE Director Sarah Saldaña at Tuesday's press conference. Sarah Saldana, director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the alleged scheme not only compromised the integrity of the visa program, it also threatened national security. Where appropriate, they will be administratively arrested and placed into removal proceedings, prosecutors said. Those who bought the phony papers work for the U.S. military, as well as Facebook, Google and other well-known companies, according to a law enforcement official.
– The University of Northern New Jersey looked like any other school: It had a website, a Facebook page, and a crest. Unlike other colleges, however, it was staffed entirely by Homeland Security agents. The Department of Justice announced this week it had indicted 21 people for visa fraud in a sting operation that centered on the fake school, invented in 2013 as a tool to catch those seeking fraudulent student visas to remain in the US. Agents say brokers purchased forged paperwork from UNNJ to obtain visas for 1,076 clients, knowing they would never attend any classes. Some acquired work visas, allowing clients to get jobs at Apple, Facebook, Morgan Stanley, and join the US Army, per ABC News and the New York Times. In exchange, the brokers took home thousands of dollars in commissions. "The University of Northern New Jersey was just another stop on the pay-to-stay tour," says the US attorney for New Jersey. Authorities describe the defendants are mainly naturalized citizens and legal permanent residents. One Chinese national allegedly enrolled dozens of students at UNNJ. "You know that none of these people are going to class?" an undercover agent asked him, per BuzzFeed. "We've been doing this for years, no worries," he replied, according to an indictment. An immigration rep says the 1,076 "students"—many of whom are Indian or Chinese—have had their visas revoked and will be investigated by immigration authorities, reports NJ.com.