17 Egyptian students learned the hard way that U.S. Immigration laws are not to be trifled with. Having arrived here in July to study U.S. History and Culture with some English language training at the Unversity of Montana, 11 of them decided to visit family and friends before going to the University instead. What followed can only be described as a comedy of errors. When the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement wing of the USCIS) men caught up with the 11 absconding students they were wanted as part of a nationwide manhunt. Finally, most turned themselves in and insisiting they had missed connecting flights, or just wanted to spend time with family before going to school. Eventually, they were allowed to attend school for the month long program. This episode illustrates a cardinal rule for students entering the U.S. in F status – Go straight to school!
