Trivalley students need individual legal help: TANA

Milpitas, CA: Telugu Association of North America (TANA) is deeply concerned about the status and well-being of the many Telugu students who are in a confused state and looking for direction after the closure of Trivalley University, President Jayaram Komati said. "TANA has received a lot of calls from concerned students within minutes of the raid with requests for our support, advice and immediate intervention. And we immediately sent a team onsite for immediate moral support and summoned the local media to capture report and escalate the issue to local American government and ensure that the leadership in India understands the depth and reality of the situation", he said in a press note.

In the next two days, TANA has contacted the US Consulate at San Francisco to contact SEVIS and ICE and personally urged US congressman Pete Stark, who has since sent out queries to ICE and DHS regarding the issue. A request has been from the Congressman's office to help re-instate the SEVIS status of legitimate students to enable them to transfer to other accredited universities within the United States. TANA requested Jagadish Prabhala form Ohio to visit the jailed students who were detained in Ohio and offer food, support and legal help. TANA President, EVP and Secretary of TANA have also requested prominent Immigration lawyers in California to offer free preliminary consultation and a discounted representation fee for the students who are detained, in path of deportation or currently out of status. TANA then wrote to the Ambassador of India seeking her involvement in resolving the crisis.

TANA has also contacted Murthy Law Firm, Immigration Law Partners LLP and Sharma Yaskhi & Ishar, LLP for legal opinion/advice and suggestions for immediate intervention requests to the local and state government officials. Mrs. Sheila Murthy has also graciously agreed to continually research the issue by contacting the relevant authorities periodically and subsequently updating us in person and also through her websites/blogs.

"While we are very unhappy and sympathetic to the situation - we urge the students to understand that this is a legal situation and it has been suggested by attorneys contacted by TANA that each effected person seek legal help for advice pertaining to his or her unique situation", Jayaram Komati has explained. "Please keep in mind that opinions of individuals or community organizations are purely personal and may not be the right or collective path for the victims to choose. TANA urges the effected students and their immediate and extended families to be patient and promises it full support with respect to finding additional lawyers who can offer free consultation and speaking to lawmakers", he said.