US regrets impact, says collecting facts

The United States embassy in New Delhi on Thursday said it is closely following the situation after a group of Indian students who went abroad to study in two California-based educational institutions were deported.

“The embassy is aware of the reports that some students bound for two California schools were denied entry by the Customs and Border Protection. We regret the impact this may have had on certain students and their families,” an embassy statement said.

“We are following this situation closely and have been in regular communication with the Department of Homeland Security as well as the government of India,” it added.

The embassy statement said that “even travellers with a visa can be denied entry if the immigration officer finds reason to question the legitimacy of their travel documents or finds that the traveller cannot adequately answer questions about the purpose of his or her travel to the United States”.

Fourteen Indian students had gone to join the Silicon Valley University but were deported by US authorities.

In a statement, national carrier Air India said it received a communication on December 19 from the Customs and Border Protection that the two universities were under scrutiny and the students who arrived in San Francisco were not allowed to enter the US and were deported back to India.