Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons announced that federal investigators have identified over 10,000 foreign students connected to suspect employers as part of a fraud scheme involving the STEM OPT extension program.
Key Details
- The cases uncovered so far are described as "just the tip of the iceberg."
- OPT allows international students on F-1 visas to work temporarily in the U.S. in jobs related to their field of study.
- Lyons stated that when the program began under the Bush administration and expanded under the Obama administration, DHS expected only a few thousand students would receive training approval.
- The program has expanded into a "guest worker pipeline" with hundreds of thousands of students, and fraud has increased alongside the program's growth.
Investigation Findings
- HSI officers visited worksites in Virginia, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Florida.
- Many suspicious employers include nongovernmental organizations.
- Investigators found empty buildings and residential addresses listed as worksites for hundreds of students.
- Multiple OPT employers claimed to operate from the same address but none actually leased the facility.
- Some "phantom employees" obtained work authorization but never showed up for work at claimed sites.
Statements
Lyons said the fraud is "deliberate, coordinated and criminal" and not victimless, calling it a "blatant attack on the goodwill of the American people."
Vice President JD Vance, appointed as "fraud czar" by President Donald Trump, celebrated the discovery on X as "another great win for our fraud task force" and stated the administration will not tolerate abuse of the visa system.