Posted on 08/13/2006 3:22:59 PM PDT by cornfedcowboy
WASHINGTON -- Immigration officials have now picked up all but two of the 11 Egyptian exchange students who came to the U.S. for a summer course in Montana but never showed up for classes.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents tracked three of the students to Des Moines. They were arrested at about 8 p.m. Friday, and are being held in the Polk County Jail.
They will be here until a federal immigration judge decides if they will face charges or be deported. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents won't say what led them to find these students in Des Moines or where they were staying. The students are Ahmed Laket, 19, Mohamed Moghazy, 20, and 18-year-old Moustafa Gafary. Agents are not releasing their pictures.
Others were picked up earlier in New Jersey, Maryland, Chicago and Minnesota. They were part of a group of 17 who arrived in New York July 29 en route to a month-long program at Montana State University in Bozeman. Six reported on time, but the 11 others were no-shows.
Immigration officials said the students are not considered a terrorism risk, but all the no-shows now face deportation.
Montana State contacted Homeland Security officials after repeatedly trying to contact the missing students, under procedures put into place after Sept. 11, 2001, to track foreign students.
These guys violated the provisions of their visas. Open and shut case.
You might call it hitch-hiking, but I called it "the free lunch".
People do this and don't get hurt.
Here's something for you to remember when you are in a foreign country ~ if you violate the terms of your visa you could end up in jail ~ so behave yourself and don't come crying to us that the Turks, Mexicans and Brazilians are nasty people when this happens.
That isn't the issue in dispute. The issue is whether or not there was an ulterior motive for 11 of them to wander off to various parts of the U.S. You seem to think it was an innocent mistake by 11 different Egyptians. That's your choice. I'd like to know a little more about the whole situation. I'd rather err on the side of security, than assume this was nothing more than ignorant foreigners being "lost."
People hitchhike and don't get hurt? People hitchhike and do get hurt. Commuter Pickup Operation? What is that? Some PC name for a welfare program?
Once they're back in Egypt you can find out all the good stuff.
This was organized by good, solid Republicans.
Go pound sand buddy.
You said Springfield. Since you claim to have been all over the world, I assumed (in error) that you meant Springfield, Illinois, not Springfield, Va. I'm not a mind reader. Having traveled the Beltway and 95 numerous times, I'm familiar with HOV-3 lanes, not your slang term of Commuter Pickup Operation. Try speaking English. As far as pounding sand...buddy, I'd rather pound salt. I'll leave the sand to you.
Go ahead, it's your butt ~ Springfield VA is the answer.
That's right. Thanks for noticing.
I'd like to know how they got to where they were found...Did they hitchhike, get on a bus, walk, bike, what!!
And did they not think they were "lost".
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