The federal government is investigating alleged visa fraud at Arizona State University and several other high-profile schools.
At an Oct. 8 press conference, Vice President JD Vance claimed that nine universities were allowing applicants to lie and were using the country's visa program to pay students and researchers less.
ASU spokesperson Jerry Gonzalez in a written statement noted the university "educates more stem majors than any other university and employs one of the largest technical and scientific workforces in the country."
"This benefits both the Arizona and the United States economies and in doing so, ASU has hired the talent needed to perform these functions and done so in complete compliance with existing United States policy and law,"
Gonzalez said.
Vance said there's "something weird is going on at these universities."
"They're using these visas way too much," he said. "They're using them to undercut the wages of American grad students and American researchers."
It's not immediately clear which federal agency would be tasked with conducting the investigation.
ASU was accused alongside Harvard University; Yale University; Stanford University; Brown University; the University of Pittsburgh; the University of California, Davis; the California Institute of Technology; and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
ASU has been the subject of several allegations from the federal government since President Donald Trump returned to office. Those investigations have ranged from accusations of the use of diversity, equity and inclusion programs to antisemitism on campus.
But the school has also maintained strong federal partnerships. In September, ASU was selected to be part of the Foundry School, a national partnership intended to reignite American manufacturing.
As evidence, Vance claimed the universities were employing a higher share of J-1 visa holders on federally funded programs, although he did not provide a source for the data. A J-1 visa is intended for full-time students that receive funding from an outside source, like a scholarship or grant, or some short-term exchange program participants.
Helen Rummel covers state politics and higher education for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at hrummel@azcentral.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @helenrummel.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: JD Vance alleges ASU used visas to undercut American wages
