US - last of delinquent students arrested over the weekend

The last two of eleven exchange students to the United States who failed to show up at a Montana college program were apprehended Sunday in Richmond, Virginia on 13 August 2006. The eleven were part of a group of 17 Egyptians who had obtained J-1 student visas to attend a month-long program at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. The other six all attended the university on schedule and had no difficulties.

However, when the university reported the eleven missing after they had arrived by plane in New York City, a nationwide manhunt was initiated to locate all of them. For their own safety and also for violation of their terms of their visas, Homeland Security immediately dedicated resources to locate them. The entire operation took approximately one week from the time they were reported missing.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Mohamed Saleh Ahmed Maray, 20, and Mohamed Ibrahim Fouaad El Shenawy, 17, at an apartment building in Richmond on Sunday night. Virginia State Police and the Richmond Police helped locate the students.

Last Wednesday, one of the Egyptian students was arrested in Minneapolis, Minnesota and two were detained in Manville, New Jersey. On Thursday, two were arrested in Dundalk, Maryland, and one was arrested at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois. Three more were arrested Friday in Des Moines, Iowa.

After Montana State repeatedly tried to contact the missing students, it notified Homeland Security Department officials and registered the Egyptians as no-shows in a system designed to track foreign students developed after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks.

Persons entering most western countries these days are advised to carefully follow the terms of their visas. Violation of these terms can result in summary deportation and a ten-year or longer ban on re-entry.

Related:

• Foreign students to the US skip out on J-1 visas, become national criminals

• US cracking down on employers of illegal immigrants
• US Supreme Court rules against foreigner's rights
• US Supreme Court rules against long term illegal residency
• US Supreme Court Allows Deportation of British Man

• Bush administration announces end of 'catch-and-release' for illegals
• U.S. immigration debate expands to both coasts
• US state by state immigration rules