Hundreds of students of Tri-Valley University face the prospect of deportation after the Tri-Valley University (TVU) in Pleasanton, California was charged by immigration authorities with being part of an effort to defraud, misuse visa permits and indulge in money laundering and other crimes.

The university is said to have 1,555 students, 95 percent of whom are from India and subject to deportation. They are also innocent and point out that they believed Tri-Valley was a bona fide and legitimate university as it was registered with the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a database of all foreign students in the United States, which is managed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

DHS is at fault for not requiring better accreditation from the educational institutions registered with the program. If it was a fake university, DHS should not have issued visas and allowed the institution to dupe so many students. As such, the students should not be penalized with deportation from the United States, especially without the right to due process.

The Tri-Valley students did not violate any laws. They should be allowed to continue their studies at other respectable institutions or return home to India without being placed in deportation proceedings. Ask the State Department and DHS for leniency on behalf of these students who were only aspiring to work hard and pursue their American dreams.

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