51 Thai Students In US Face Deportation

[webfact]

51 Thai students in US face deportation

BANGKOK (TNA) -- A group of 51 Thai students in the state of Florida, in the United States have been detained and are facing deportation after they did not fully attend classes at a language school, and contradicted the terms of their visas that specified that they were to attend classes regularly, according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry Information Department deputy director general Thani Thongphakdi.

Mr Thani said that all the students were studying at Florada Language School and the school was now closed down.

The school was also charged that it had neglected, not applied sufficiently strict measures to force the students to attend classes while the students held F-1 visas required them as full time students to attend classes regularly, he said.

All the Thai students were charged with violating US immigration law and were not allowed to be bailed out, but they were awaiting to appear before an immigration judge individually to hear their verdicts, he said.

Mr Thani said the students could ask to voluntarily return to Thailand or to fight the case in the United States.

As for the Thai students who were considered violating immigration laws in similar ways but were not detained, he said that they should return to Thailand but should inform the Thai embassy to avoid possible arrest.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs also warned Thai students who want to study in the US to strictly observe the regulations and laws and carefully choose their school.

The 51 Thai students were among some foreign 100 students who were detained by the American authorities. (TNA)

-- TNA 2010-03-04

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[robblok]

Wonder what happens if Thailand starts doing the same, i hear a lot of those schools are just for visas nothing more.

[givenall]

Wonder what happens if Thailand starts doing the same, i hear a lot of those schools are just for visas nothing more.

Nothing as long as you keep paying the tuition and fees.

[Maizefarmer]

They'll all volunteer to leave - custody is no fun .....

The UK is starting to do the same as well ....

[stephen23SA]

All the Thai students were charged with violating US immigration law and were not allowed to be bailed out, but they were awaiting to appear before an immigration judge individually to hear their verdicts, he said.

Time for a reciprocal crackdown here?

The school was also charged that it had neglected, not applied sufficiently strict measures to force the students to attend classes while the students held F-1 visas required them as full time students to attend classes regularly, he said.

This other aspect of the issue might be forthcoming as well?

Edited March 4, 2010 by stephen23SA

[daveh]

While not mentioned at all in the article, I'm sure the Thai restaurants in Florida will be understaffed for a while.

There are very few restaurants in my area of California that don't hire students. IIRC, student visa holders are allowed to work part time, they just need to continue their studies.

Then there are those restaurants who hire students illegally and off the books. They really take advantage of these people. If ICE really wanted to crack down, it would be very easy just to go to Thai and Indian restaurants and check the documents for their workers. I wonder what happened in Florida to make them investigate.

[DP25]

While not mentioned at all in the article, I'm sure the Thai restaurants in Florida will be understaffed for a while.

Any Asian looking person will do. Most Thai restaurants in the US I've been to were not owned or staffed by Thais

[ronz28]

Scores of foreigners with student visas may soon face deportation after the school they had planned to attend did not have the proper accreditation, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said in a Statement.

ICE officials called their operation one of the "largest fraud takedown of a school and its purported students."

The school in question – the Florida Language Institute Inc. in Miami– has posted a sign that reads, in part, the following: "This school is no longer certified to educate foreign students. Any foreign students that need to transfer schools must contact the Duty Officer (at the Department of Homeland Security) at 305-597-2704."

They say many of the students violated the terms of their F-1 visas by accepting jobs or not showing up to class at all. They were required to attend 18 hours a week of instruction.

Instead, in a12-page indictment, Immigration officials say the school's operator Lydia Menocal and employee Ofelia Macia were "pre-signing for classes, that is, signing attendance sheet for having attended classes in the future."

The students who had obtained the visas are now sitting in a Broward center in Pompano Beach that processes illegal immigrants.

Menocal and Macia face several federal charges including one count of conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud the United States, one count of falsifying immigration documents and one count of making false or fraudulent statements. They also face forfeiture of their assets from the school estimated to be nearly $2.4 million, according to the indictment.

[Spee]

"The 51 Thai students were among some foreign 100 students who were detained by the American authorities"

So goes the web of American political hypocrisy and double-speak. Fifty-one Thais who entered the country legally are likely being put "under the thumb" to serve some political gain, while hundreds of thousands are allowed to pour through the southern borders illegally to serve some other political gain. The stench of hypocrisy and makes me sick to my stomach.

[Bedrockguesthouse]

"The 51 Thai students were among some foreign 100 students who were detained by the American authorities"

So goes the web of American political hypocrisy and double-speak. Fifty-one Thais who entered the country legally are likely being put "under the thumb" to serve some political gain, while hundreds of thousands are allowed to pour through the southern borders illegally to serve some other political gain. The stench of hypocrisy and makes me sick to my stomach.

I'll bet you will be glad to come over here soon cheers mark

[Eff1n2ret]

They'll all volunteer to leave - custody is no fun .....

The UK is starting to do the same as well ....

Unfortunately, as the law stands in the UK, failure to attend the course does not nullify leave to remain as a student. This was the inspired judgement of the Court of Appeal in 2003 in the case of a Chinese student named Zhou.

As a result it made enforcement action against bogus students much more difficult as one then had to prove that they were working in excess of 20 hours per week.

[ongoing]

51 Rich Thais in trouble with the law. Dont worry Mummy and Daddy will just go and pay the police some money and all problems will go away.... ahhh i forgot they are not in Thailand ! and they are not rich in America . They are in a real country with laws and real police. No corrupt thai loser policeman can save them there. throw them in one of the detention centres with the drug traffickers and gang members from Central America.

[Carib]

51 Rich Thais in trouble with the law. Dont worry Mummy and Daddy will just go and pay the police some money and all problems will go away.... ahhh i forgot they are not in Thailand ! and they are not rich in America . They are in a real country with laws and real police. No corrupt thai loser policeman can save them there. throw them in one of the detention centres with the drug traffickers and gang members from Central America.

What a load of <deleted>.

[BlackArtemis]

I know lots of Thais here who come via Au pair, then simply sign up at a community college for a student visa and skip classes.

On a side note, not one Thai person I know who has come here has come here due to a rich mommy or daddy.

[ableguy]

"The 51 Thai students were among some foreign 100 students who were detained by the American authorities"

So goes the web of American political hypocrisy and double-speak. Fifty-one Thais who entered the country legally are likely being put "under the thumb" to serve some political gain, while hundreds of thousands are allowed to pour through the southern borders illegally to serve some other political gain. The stench of hypocrisy and makes me sick to my stomach.

Where is the political gain? seems to me your just another ignorant USA basher.

[wasabi]

I do think the student visa is abused here and in Thailand. I waited nearly two years to legally get my wife here from Thailand and have no pity for anyone who breaks the law just so they can cut corners and get an easy ride. Som Nam Nah.

[IanForbes]

Gawd forbid any person for NOT following all the stupid laws that the self righteous want to impose on others. I'm really certain those poor Thai students are REALLY going to pose a threat to the GOOD OLD USA.

Why is it that any number of slobby Americans with questionable backgrounds can enter Thailand on tourist visas, with no questions asked, but most Thai nationals can NOT visit the USA, Canada, the UK and most European countries for a simple vacation visa unless they own some million baht residence?

[witold]

I am amused by comments comparing USA to Thailand and how the world is unfair.

Maybe when Thailand catches up and has freedom of speech, real rule of law, and much less corruption in Govt - maybe then you can start to have a more equal relationship. A sort of relationship USA has with developed countries and regions like UK and EU.

People at USA ICE are not stupid. They know why poor people from the 3rd world want to come here. They are not tourists and they are not here to learn English. US government does not place a high priority on enforcing these rules but they do crack down from time to time. And it appears to me that rich and middleclass Thais that want to see the US as tourists have no problems coming here (although I actually know how hard it was for them to visit). Similarly, Thais that get accepted to known universities will have no problems getting ED visa. And work visa standards will be the same for a Thai as for anyone from Western countries...

[webfact]

Please continue this topic in news clippings

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/51-Thais-Det...Fr-t344518.html

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