AzTech, Integra, Wireclass, Andwill Update: We Have Obtained Shocking Internal ICE Documents Concerning its Investigation. Part 1.

In addition to Amazon, Intel, and Google, according to ICE statistics, Integra Technologies was one of the top 4 employers of OPT students in 2017 and 2018.  In 2019, AzTech was one of the top 4 employers, together with Amazon, Google, and Deloitte. During these three years, Integra and AzTech “employed” nearly 5,000 foreign students.  So why did it take until January 2020 for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to launch a comprehensive investigation into the activities of Integra and AzTech?  This is the mind-boggling conclusion evident in materials received as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request. Why was ICE asleep at the wheel, while thousands of innocent, unwitting foreign students were victimized by a years-long scam and now are permanently barred from the United States under Section 212(a)(6)(C)(i) as a result? And where were the university DSOs during this scandal?

Last week we finally received internal ICE documents related to its investigation. Although the materials are heavily-redacted, they show:

1) it was not until January 23, 2020 that an actual site visit was conducted at 19C Trolley Square, Wilmington, Delaware to “determine the validity” of AzTech and Integra;

2) at that time, ICE found that there was no such address 19C Trolley Square (!);

3) on March 22, 2020, CBP, apparently for the first time, refused entry in to the United States of an individual associated with one of these companies;

4) on March 24, 2020, ICE reported that AzTech, Integra, and Andwill came under the umbrella of Wireclass;

5) the addresses and phone numbers of the registrants of the associated website domains that were provided to the website hosting companies were fake;

6) by the summer of 2020 CBP intensified its questioning and removal of arriving students at airports who had been associated with these companies;

7) by October 2020, ICE had concluded a) “AzTech is a fraudulent company with no physical presence in Delaware”; b) students who had been interviewed by CBP and ICE “admitted to never working for AZTECH to paying for fraudulent employment verification documents;” and c) that “in addition to AZTECH, the companies of ANDWILL, INTEGRA, WIRECLASS and INFINITY have been identified as perpetuating the same fraud scheme.”;

 8)  ICE followed the money trail, interacting with Wells Fargo and PayPal, and also subpoenaed and obtained records from LinkedIn; and

9) a 2019 Profit and Loss Spreadsheet of Integra showed gross sales of $124,845.80.

Next, we will publish more information and excerpts from the ICE investigation. In the meantime, if you wish to discuss your situation, please feel free to contact us.