The United States arrested 21 suspects on suspicion of visa fraud conspiracy for allowing more than 1,000 foreign students, primarily from China and India to extend their stay in America illegally, prosecutors said.

Federal agents set up a fake university to ensnare the suspects in an operation that spotlights growing concern about visa fraud at a time when illegal immigration has become a major issue in the US presidential campaign....

Homeland Security investigators set up the so-called University of Northern New Jersey in September 2013 in a bid to crack down on visa fraud from foreigners who fraudulently maintain their non-immigrant status on false pretenses....

They created false student records and diplomas, for which their clients paid, to deceive immigration authorities and allegedly used the fake university to fraudulently obtain work visas for hundreds of clients, creating false contracts, employment verification letters, transcripts and other documents.