SoniaBlankinship at 15:41, 21 January 2026

2026-01-21T15:41:56Z

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{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Short description|Fake university in Michigan, US set up by ICE}}
{{Infobox university
| name = University of Farmington
| image = University of Farmington logo.png
| image_upright = 0.8
| motto = {{langx|la|Scientia et labor}}
| established = 2015
| closed = 2019
| type = Fake university
| undergrad =
| postgrad =
| city = [[Farmington Hills, Michigan|Farmington Hills]]
| state = [[Michigan]]
| country = U.S.
| website = {{url|https://web.archive.org/web/20180414235355/https://universityoffarmington.edu/|https://universityoffarmington.edu/}}
}}
{{Distinguish|text=[[University of Maine at Farmington]], a legitimate university in the state of Maine}}
The '''University of Farmington''' was a fake university set up in 2015 in [[Michigan]] by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. <ref name="Antonia">{{Cite news |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/01/31/ice-set-up-fake-university-hundreds-enrolled-not-realizing-it-was-sting-operation/ |title = ICE set up a fake university. Hundreds enrolled, not realizing it was a sting operation. |first=Antonia Noori|last=Farzan|authorlink=Antonia Noori Farzan|date = January 31, 2019 |newspaper = The Washington Post |access-date = January 31, 2019 }}</ref> The [[sting operation]],<ref name="NYT_31Jan" /><ref>{{Cite news |url = https://www.freep.com/story/news/2019/01/30/farmington-university-immigrant-arrests/2724992002/ |title = Farmington Hills fake university set up by ICE to nab foreign students |last = Warikoo |first = Niraj |date = January 30, 2019 |work = Detroit Free Press |access-date = January 31, 2019 |language = en }}</ref> code-named "Paper Chase", was overseen by the [[United States Department of Homeland Security]] (DHS). Over 600 individuals were identified in the operation, many of whom face deportation from the United States for visa violations, just for enrolling in the fake school.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/8-indians-arrested-in-us-visa-scam-hundreds-may-face-deportation-1986059 |title = 8 Indians Caught In Visa Scam In US Undercover Op, Many Face Deportation |last = Sudhir |first = Uma |date = January 31, 2019 |website = NDTV.com |access-date = January 31, 2019 }}</ref>

The sting was disclosed to the public on January 30, 2019, with ''[[The Detroit News]]''<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2019/01/30/federal-agents-used-fake-michigan-university-to-find-undocumented-immigrants/2722791002/ |title = Feds used fake Michigan university in immigration sting |website = [[The Detroit News]] |access-date = January 31, 2019 }}</ref> reporting that the DHS and ICE HSI had arrested eight "recruiters" of Indian nationality and charged them on grounds of visa fraud and harboring aliens for profit. In total, the recruiters allegedly made more than $250,000 from the university in compensation.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/hundreds-of-indian-students-face-jail-deportation-in-us-college-scam/story-NelUt7N8HnUZf6KM1Z6xgJ.html |title = Hundreds of Indian students face jail, deportation in US college scam |last = Raj |first = Yashwant |date = January 31, 2019 |website = [[Hindustan Times]] |language = en |access-date = January 31, 2019 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web |url = https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2019/01/30/federal-agents-used-fake-michigan-university-to-find-undocumented-immigrants/2722791002/ |title = Feds used fake Michigan university in immigration sting |last = Snell |first = Robert |date = January 30, 2019 |website = [[The Detroit News]] |language = en |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190131014820/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2019/01/30/federal-agents-used-fake-michigan-university-to-find-undocumented-immigrants/2722791002/ |archive-date = January 31, 2019 |access-date = January 31, 2019 }}</ref> By early February 2019, 130 students (129 of whom were from India, and 127 of them specifically being from Andhra/Telangana states of India)<ref>{{Cite web |url = http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra-pradesh/2019/feb/03/fear-anxiety-grip-parents-of-students-1933626.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190204231039/http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra-pradesh/2019/feb/03/fear-anxiety-grip-parents-of-students-1933626.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = February 4, 2019 |title = US visa fraud case: Fear, anxiety grip parents back in Andhra |website = [[The New Indian Express]] |access-date = February 4, 2019 }}</ref> from multiple cities had been arrested for violation of immigration laws, and were subject to deportation if convicted.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-47106199 |title = US fake university sting angers India |date = February 3, 2019 |publisher = [[BBC News]] |access-date = February 4, 2019 |language = en-GB }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |url = https://www.firstpost.com/world/ice-fake-university-its-entrapment-say-indians-reacting-to-news-of-114-students-arrested-across-20-us-cities-6010911.html |title = ICE fake university: 'It's entrapment', say Indians reacting to news of 130 students arrested across 20 US cities |website = [[Firstpost]] |date = February 2019 |access-date = February 4, 2019 }}</ref> In March 2019, ICE announced that 161 students had been arrested in total.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/03/08/ice-fake-university-farmington/3026214002/ |title=ICE arrests more students at fake university, others being removed from US |last=Warikoo |first=Niraj |date=8 March 2019 |website=Detroit Free Press |access-date=5 June 2019 }}</ref>

According to prosecutors, the students enrolled in the university solely to maintain their student-visa status and lengthen their stay in the US,<ref name=":2" /> despite being aware "that they would not attend any actual classes, earn credits or make academic progress towards an actual degree."<ref name="NYT_31Jan" /> However, the students' attorneys noted that the university had been listed as a legitimate school on the Department of Homeland Security website. The University of Farmington was also accredited by two school accreditation boards. The University of Farmington website made it impossible for students to know that it was fake. It offered instruction, classes, and degrees. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/11/27/university-farmington-ice-arrests-more-fake-michigan-college/4317788002/|title=ICE arrests 90 more foreign students at fake university created by DHS in Michigan|date=27 November 2019|website=USA Today|access-date=27 November 2019 }}</ref>

== University ==
[[File:University of Farmington logo2.png|thumb|right|150px|Secondary logo used by the "university"]]
The University of Farmington's headquarters was in the basement of the North Valley office complex located at 30500 Northwestern Highway in Farmington Hills.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://universityoffarmington.edu/ |title=The University of Farmington |publisher=[[Internet Archive]] |work=web page |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829185758/https://universityoffarmington.edu/ |archive-date=August 29, 2018 }}</ref> Its website claimed to "provide students from throughout the world a unique educational experience" and contained academic program details. It also claimed to be accredited by the [[Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs]] and the [[Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges]] and was also apparently authorized by the [[Student and Exchange Visitor Program]] to admit foreign students.<ref name="Antonia" /><ref>{{cite web |url = https://universityoffarmington.edu/factoids |title = Factoids |date = January 31, 2019 |website = The University of Farmington |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190131064227/https://universityoffarmington.edu/factoids |archive-date = January 31, 2019 |access-date = January 31, 2019 }}</ref> According to ''[[The Times of India]]'', there was hardly any way for prospective students to distinguish the institution from a real university, at least from its web presence.<ref name=":3" /> The university had a Twitter presence and the university's website featured program details, tuition pricing, and updates such as bad weather alerts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/02/02/690916805/the-university-of-farmington-isnt-real-it-s-a-complex-federal-sting-operation|title=The University Of Farmington Isn't Real. It's A Complex Federal Sting Operation|website=NPR.org|publisher=NPR|access-date=2019-11-29}}</ref><ref name="NYT_31Jan" /> The yearly fee for undergraduates was $8,500, significantly lower than many other US institutions.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |url = https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/eight-indians-arrested-on-charges-of-facilitating-foreigners-illegally-stay-in-us-as-students/article26135515.ece |title = Indians arrested, students detained in U.S. on visa fraud charges |last = Lakshman |first = Sriram |date = January 31, 2019 |work = [[The Hindu]] |access-date = January 31, 2019 |language = en-IN |issn = 0971-751X }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url = https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/indians-studying-in-a-fraudulent-university-arrested-119013100096_1.html |title = Indians studying in a fraudulent university arrested |agency = Press Trust of India |date = January 31, 2019 |work = [[Business Standard India]] |access-date = January 31, 2019 }}</ref> The university did not have any instructors or actual classes.<ref name="NYT_31Jan" />

According to Matt Friedman, who worked in the same complex, the university had no classrooms and he never saw anyone there.<ref name=":1" /> Other people who worked in the same building doubted the prosecutors' contention that everyone was willfully involved, claiming to have seen students arriving with backpacks and attempting to inquire about the university.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |url = https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//city/hyderabad/students-had-no-way-to-check-university-of-farmingtons-authenticity/articleshow/67823186.cms? |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190204213952/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com//city/hyderabad/students-had-no-way-to-check-university-of-farmingtons-authenticity/articleshow/67823186.cms |url-status = dead |archive-date = February 4, 2019 |title = US fake university racket: Students had no way to check Farmington's authenticity |website = [[The Times of India]] |access-date = February 4, 2019 }} [copy on [[archive.org]] of an article originally hosted at ''https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/students-had-no-way-to-check-university-of-farmingtons-authenticity/articleshow/67823186.cms'']</ref>

== Aftermath ==
Immediately following the disclosure of the sting, Ravi Mannam, an immigration lawyer based in Atlanta, criticized the operation as "misleading" and accused the government of utilizing "very questionable and troubling methods to get these foreign students to join the institution", since students were under the impression that their enrollment was being made in a legitimate program.<ref name="NYT_31Jan">{{cite news |last1 = Mervosh |first1 = Sarah |title = ICE Ran a Fake University in Michigan to Catch Immigration Fraud |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/us/farmington-university-arrests-ice.html |work = [[The New York Times]] |date = January 31, 2019 }}</ref><ref name=":2" /> Similar concerns have been echoed by various Indian news publications.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |url = http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2019/feb/02/students-were-handcuffed-like-criminals--taken-away-1933116.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190204125124/http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2019/feb/02/students-were-handcuffed-like-criminals--taken-away-1933116.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = February 4, 2019 |title = Students were handcuffed like criminals & taken away |website = [[The New Indian Express]] |access-date = February 4, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url = https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/us-homeland-dept-under-scrutiny-for-its-unethical-immigrant-trap/articleshow/67812346.cms |title = Indian body fumes at DHS 'bait & catch' move against students |website = [[The Times of India]] |date = February 3, 2019 |access-date = February 4, 2019 }}</ref>

The same week, India issued a [[démarche]] asking for the immediate release of the students and requesting against any non-voluntary deportation.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-issues-demarche-to-us-on-detention-of-students/story-1ql6ruNRSJpV9BhZYPxnFM.html |title = India issues demarche to US on detention of students: Officials from the Indian embassy and consulates in the US visited several detention centres and about 30 students have so far been contacted by consular officers |date = February 3, 2019 |work = [[Hindustan Times]] |location = New Delhi }}</ref> Some of the students were apparently released after an intervention by the Indian Consulate, which has also opened a hotline.<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.ndtv.com/indians-abroad/indian-embassy-opens-hotline-for-129-students-detained-in-us-visa-scam-1987146 |title = Indian Embassy Opens Hotline For 129 Students Detained In US Visa Scam |website = [[NDTV.com]] |access-date = February 4, 2019 }}</ref>

All of the Farmington recruiters, hired by the University of Farmington, were criminally charged and pleaded guilty.<ref name="Redden">{{cite news |first=Elizabeth |last=Redden |title=A Fake University |work=Inside Higher Ed |date=9 December 2019 |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/12/10/who-went-fake-university-farmington-and-why |access-date=5 July 2024}}</ref> They faced jail time followed by deportation with a bar on re-entering the U.S. in the future.<ref name="Redden" /> Of the student enrollees, immigration authorities by the end of 2019 had arrested around 250 people, followed in some cases by deportation, though others contested.<ref name="Redden"/>

In 2020, lawyers for the University of Farmington students [[class action|as a class]] filed suit against the U.S. government in the [[U.S. Court of Federal Claims]] for breach of their contract, seeking tuition fees of around $11,000 a year that were essentially stolen.<ref name="Warikoo2024">{{cite news|first=Niraj |last=Warikoo |title=Students at fake university in Michigan created by ICE can sue US, court rules |work=Detroit Free Press |date=3 July 2024 |url=https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2024/07/03/court-students-at-fake-michigan-university-set-up-by-ice-can-sue/74228675007/ |access-date=5 July 2024}}</ref> The suit asked for the money back and punitive damages.<ref name="Warikoo2024"/> The claims court dismissed the suit in 2022, claiming lack of jurisdiction,<ref name="Warikoo2024"/> but in June 2024, a three-judge panel of the [[U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit]] reinstated it.<ref name="Warikoo2024"/> The panel ruled that the government "engaged in the sale of services",<ref>{{cite news|first=Praveena |last=Somasundaram |title=Students who enrolled in fake school ICE used in sting can sue, judges rule |work=Washington Post |date=4 July 2024 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/07/04/ice-dhs-immigration-fake-university/ |access-date=5 July 2024}}</ref> and that the students were "unaware that the University was not a university at all" and "the government did not provide the paid-for education" nor give the students their money back.<ref name="Warikoo2024"/>

==See also==
* [[Bishop Sycamore High School]]
* [[University of Northern New Jersey]] – another fake university by Homeland Security (2013–2016)
* [[Reagan National University]]
* [[Entrapment]]
* [[Diploma mills in the United States]]

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://universityoffarmington.edu/ University of Farmington] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829185758/https://universityoffarmington.edu/ |date=August 29, 2018 }} website announcing that it has been closed
*{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/*/https://universityoffarmington.edu/|title=University of Farmington}} - Wayback machine archive of the university website when it was active

[[Category:Fictional American universities and colleges]]
[[Category:United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement]]
[[Category:Confidence tricks]]
[[Category:Law enforcement operations in the United States]]
[[Category:2015 in the United States]]
[[Category:Education fraud in the United States]]
[[Category:Farmington Hills, Michigan]]

University of Farmington - Revision history

SoniaBlankinship at 15:41, 21 January 2026