Lawsuit: Universities helping foreign students who might be national security threats illegally enter U.S.

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(THE FEDERALIST) – School officials across the country are undoubtedly paying close attention to a lawsuit against Columbia University filed by a former employee who claims she was fired for refusing to act in an unlawful manner and lie to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about the status of foreign students.

The implications of this lawsuit are significant for Columbia University because if it turns out the allegations are true, it is likely Columbia will lose the ability to enroll new foreign students for at least a year. It also raises the question of whether DHS is conducting an appropriate level of oversight on more than 15,000 campuses it has certified to enroll foreign students.

According to the lawsuit, a Columbia University employee working as a Designated School Official (or DSO, a school’s liaison with DHS) was directed by Columbia’s leadership to “process immigration documents on behalf of a group of potential students from South Africa without the necessary documentation, including evidence of funding and full-time engagement in a prescribed program, as required by federal regulations.”

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