ICE Reveals Widespread Fraud in OPT Student Work Program

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said on May 12 that investigators identified over 10,000 foreign students claiming to work for highly suspect employers during a nationwide probe of the Optional Practical Training program.

Officials said OPT issued more than 400,000 work permits in 2024, allows limited post‑study employment, and was never approved by Congress.

Homeland Security Investigations' acting executive associate director John Condon described coordinated employer clusters and shell companies, and Lyons said DHS will intensify vetting and pursue further prosecutions.

Investigators found empty buildings, phantom employees, suspicious cross‑border transactions, an alleged Houston pay‑to‑stay scheme, and reported activity in Virginia, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina and Florida.

Lyons warned the findings may be "only the tip of the iceberg" and vowed more actions, and USCIS chief Joseph Edlow told Congress in August 2025 he would seek to terminate the OPT program.