Student visas are designed to expand educational opportunities. What’s better than studying abroad or hosting international students in the U.S. to deepen cultural ties and expand our horizons?
Turns out, however, that just like we’ve seen in the massive Minnesota and California social‑service program fraud epidemic, the rampant COVID relief scams, and so much more, bad actors love to take advantage of government programs, and according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), that’s exactly what went down with a visa program called Optional Practical Training. The idea is to give foreign students with F-1 visas who have finished their studies two extra years to work in their field and gain experience.
Turns out, however, that there are a whole lot of ghost students out there:
ICE just dropped a major fraud bombshell involving 10,000 foreign students “who claim to be working for highly suspect employers” as part of the federal government’s Operational Practical Training program.
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) May 12, 2026
Here’s what they found…
-Empty buildings and locked doors where hundreds… pic.twitter.com/D1SNb7orJX
The above tweet, from Daily Wire immigration reporter Jennie Taer, continues:
ICE just dropped a major fraud bombshell involving 10,000 foreign students “who claim to be working for highly suspect employers” as part of the federal government’s Operational Practical Training program.
Here’s what they found…
-Empty buildings and locked doors where hundreds of foreign students are supposed to be working
-Multiple employers claiming the same address, where none of them actually have a lease
-Small homes listed as worksites for hundreds of foreign students, where no employees are present. And when someone answers the door, they claim to have no knowledge of the business.
-Some of the employers claim to have offshore HR personnel
-Employers having tax liens, civil law suit collections and breaches of contract
MORE: Trump Vows Integrity: Massive New Push to Strip Fraudulent U.S. Citizenships
Visa Fraud Ring Exposed: Ten Now Face Charges Over Staged Hold-Ups
Like the non-existent children in Minneapolis’ “Quality Learing Center,” many of these supposed young graduates could not be found:
Sometimes the students fabricate opportunities. Other times, unscrupulous firms sponsor foreign students for supposed training and, in reality, act as labor clearinghouses, farming the students out for work at other businesses.
Agents found bogus addresses and home residences listed as hosting hundreds of foreign OPT students.
One employer in northern Texas visited by ICE agents claimed to be hosting only three OPT students, even though the agency said its own paperwork said it was hosting 500.
In New Jersey, agents visited an OPT employer listed as hosting 150 foreign workers. They found only a single student employee present, and the employer couldn’t answer questions about the others.
“We are uncovering evidence of organized fraud that spans national and international borders,” said ICE acting director Todd Lyons. “This fraud is not victimless. It is a blatant attack on the American people.”
He explained that when agents conducted site visits, they found plenty of troubling activity:
Lyons and other officials outlined how federal investigators conducted site visits, identifying among other things, cases where OPT beneficiaries were being “managed” by employees based in India, in violation of a provision of the program requiring U.S. training and direction. They also alleged some shell companies were committing financial fraud and violating U.S. law by helping the recent grads stay in the U.S. without sponsorship from a legitimate U.S. company.
He added that the controversial program was created for a limited number of people, but under the Obama administration, 418,781 foreign students were authorized to work under OPT.
It seems like every time Trump administration officials turn over a rock related to the Obama-Biden administrations, or to blue state shenanigans, they find more fraud. Keep at it, guys — I’m sure there’s plenty more out there.
Watch the entire press conference here:
Editor’s Note: ICE and CBP continue to put themselves in harm's way in order to protect America’s sovereignty and to keep our streets safe.
Help us continue to report the truth about the DHS’s efforts to clean up America by joining RedState VIP and using promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member