PHOENIX — Several exchange students from China were denied re-entry to the U.S. by Customs and Border Protection while returning to Arizona State University.
In a statement, ASU said the students were detained by federal authorities at Los Angeles International Airport and denied admission to the U.S. to continue their studies.
Officials said they are working as quickly as possible to coordinate with the federal government to understand the circumstances surrounding these actions and to rectify the situation.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the Chinese students were deemed inadmissible to the United States based on information discovered during its inspection.
They say the "Immigration and Nationality Act" broadly governs the admissibility and inadmissibility of aliens into the United States. They say under the act it lists more than 60 grounds of inadmissibility divided into several major categories, including healthy-related grounds, criminality, security reasons, public charge, labor certification, illegal entrants, immigration violations and documentation requirements among others.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection would not say why the ASU students were not allowed into the country.
Sources close to the situation tell ABC15 that the students were in violation of their F1 student visas related to academic fraud. The sources said investigators apparently discovered evidence that the students were paying to have their school work completed for them, which is a violation of the F1 visa requirements and regulations.
Because of that, the students were sent back to China, according to sources.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in its statement that the students were not deported. Someone deemed inadmissible can reapply for a visa with the Department of State. They also say CBP has policies in place that ensure multiple layers of review when adjudicating a denial of admission.
You can read statements from ASU and CBP below:
ASU can confirm that a number of returning undergraduate students from China were detained by US Customs and Border Protection at the Los Angeles airport and denied admission to the U.S. to continue their studies. We are working as quickly as possible to coordinate with the federal government to understand the circumstances surrounding these actions and to rectify the situation.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is charged with determining admissibility of aliens at ports of entry, under U.S. immigration law [Section 291 of the INA [8 USC 1361] applicants for admission bear the burden of proof to establish that they are clearly eligible to enter the United States. In order to demonstrate that they are admissible, the applicant must overcome ALL grounds of inadmissibility.
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) broadly governs the admissibility and inadmissibility of aliens into the United States. INA § 212(a) lists more than 60 grounds of inadmissibility divided into several major categories, including health-related grounds, criminality, security reasons, public charge, labor certification, illegal entrants and immigration violations, documentation requirements, and miscellaneous grounds.
The Chinese students were deemed inadmissible to the United States based on information discovered during the CBP inspection.
