Eighteen students from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh returned to Hyderabad on Saturday after being deported by the American authorities.
This is the latest in a series of incidents in recent months in which students from the same states were sent back either after landing in the US or from destinations enroute Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
About 90 students, who had left after completing all formalities including admission letters from the universities, were sent back in the last three to four months.
Earlier in December 2015, 14 students who had enrolled in Silicon Valley University and Northwestern Polytechnic University in California, United States of America were deported. The deportation comes after the said universities were placed “under scrutiny” by the US Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBPA).
The 18 students were sent back from New York airport after having their visas cancelled. Following this, they returned to Hyderabad airport.
The students complained of interrogation and ill-treatment by the officials of US CBPA at the John F Kennedy Airport International Airport, where they were detained and interrogated for several hours. The students claimed, they were not provided drinking water and food.
They also added, officials threatened to bar their entry into US for five years, if they fail to withdraw and return home.
The students claimed that no reason was given for sending them back, though they had given satisfactory replies to all the questions asked and possessed all valid documents.
“One officer said he was doing this on the boss’ order,” said a student, who did not wish to be named.
Another student who had gone to join Northwestern Polytechnic University, California said the officers told him that there is a problem with his visa.
“They asked me if I bought the visa,” he said. The student was told that if he wanted he could apply again for admission to another university and come back.
The officials were not convinced when students pointed out that the institutions were not blacklisted by the US authorities.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)