Congressman Blake Moore Joins Colleagues in Sending Letter to Demand U.S. Customs and Border Protection Investigate Visa Fraud by U.S. Colleges & Universities

Congressman Blake Moore Joins Colleagues in Sending Letter to Demand U.S. Customs and Border Protection Investigate Visa Fraud by U.S. Colleges & Universities

WASHINGTON ­- Congressman Blake Moore joined his colleagues in sending a letter to the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner, Troy Miller, demanding U.S. Customs and Border Protection launch investigations into possible cases of visa fraud committed by colleges and universities that have failed to enforce rules that protect students from antisemitic harassment on their campuses.

"Over the past several weeks, we have seen an influx of threats and incidents of violence against Jewish students and destruction of campus property at universities across the nation. Campus leaders have failed to enforce their own rules for the sake of protecting foreign national students and are refusing to apply university-wide penalties to students based solely on their visa status. Instead, they are canceling classes and graduation ceremonies, forcing innocent students to bear the brunt of protestors' misconduct," said Congressman Blake Moore. "By waiving codes of conduct for visa holders, these schools are skirting U.S. law that determines visa-holding students' eligibility to remain in the United States lawfully, constituting visa fraud. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has a responsibility to ensure visa holders are adhering to the same laws by which American citizens are expected to abide. That is why my colleagues demand they launch an investigation into Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas at Austin, and other schools experiencing mass demonstrations to determine whether university officials are committing visa fraud."

The full letter is below:

Dear Mr. Miller,

I write today to demand U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) investigate any possible cases of visa fraud perpetuated by college and university administrators as it pertains to the demonstrations and unrest that have taken place in response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Since the horrific attacks and subsequent violence carried out by Hamas and Iran-backed proxy groups against the State of Israel on October 7, 2023, there has been a dramatic uptick in antisemitic protests, rallies, and demonstrations expressing support for Israel's enemies and, at times, explicitly calling for violence against Jewish and Israeli Americans. Demonstration activity on college campuses specifically has spiked in the last several weeks, particularly at well- established universities such as Columbia University. In many instances, Jewish activities and spaces, such as Cornell University's Jewish center, have been directly targeted by demonstrators. The concern over additional violence by the protestors has had consequences ranging from canceled and remote-only classes to canceled graduation ceremonies, leaving innocent bystanders forced to bear the brunt of the consequences.

Of particular concern is the unwillingness and at times outright refusal of university officials to enforce school codes of conduct. There have been reports of failures by university administrators to apply consequences for violation of codes of conduct, such as suspension, to foreign students who are in the U.S. on limited educational visas explicitly due to the potential legal ramifications, such as confiscation of lawful status and/or deportation. Failure to apply consequences to visa holders directly impacts these students' eligibility to remain in the U.S. lawfully and doing so for that purpose would constitute visa fraud. The federal government has a responsibility to ensure visa-holding immigrants are adhering to the same laws and codes of conduct to which American citizens are also bound.

I therefore demand CBP launch an investigation into Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University at Texas at Austin, as well as any other colleges or universities where mass demonstration activity is taking place to determine whether and to what degree university officials are committing visa fraud through their concealment of information, noncooperation with law enforcement, and refusal to enforce codes of conduct.

Signed,

Representatives Blake Moore, Beth Van Duyne, Jeff Duncan, Burgess Owens, Brandon Williams, Pete Stauber, Stephanie Bice, Greg Steube, Keith Self, Dan Meuser, Randy Weber, Wesley Hunt, Troy Balderson, Andy Harris, Tim Burchett, Bob Good, Pat Fallon, Pete Sessions, Rich McCormick, Morgan Luttrell, John Carter, Brian Babin, Aaron Bean, Virginia Foxx, Bill Huizenga, Andrew Clyde, Ronny Jackson, Kay Granger, Byron Donalds, Rudy Yakym, Warren Davidson, Claudia Tenney, Derrick Van Orden, Scott Perry, Michael Cloud, Michael Waltz, Troy Nehls, Tracey Mann, Cory Mills, Harriet Hageman, Nancy Mace, Michael Burgess, Michael McCaul, and Andrew Ogles.

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