Flight school under investigation by US immigration authorities

San Diego, USA: A flight school that caters to foreign students is under investigation by immigration authorities on suspicion of sponsoring student visas while it lacked Federal Aviation Administration certification.
Anglo-American Aviation International, San Diego, resumed flying at Gillespie Field in suburban El Cajon Friday after immigration agents returned logbooks. The school voluntarily shut down after agents executed search warrants Monday and seized the records.
No arrests have been made.
The 15-year-old school caters primarily to students from Europe and India.
The flight school allowed its FAA certification to lapse last year, said agency spokesman Ian Gregor.
Flight schools are required to have FAA certification to sponsor foreign students for flight training in the U.S., said ICE spokeswoman Lauren Mack. Visa applications are subject to State Department background checks.
The school has no links to flight training facilities used by the Sept. 11 hijackers.
“Any time this kind of violation occurs we’re going to make sure we do a very thorough investigation including any possible security breaches,” said Mack. “But the investigation is ongoing and it would be premature to make any terrorism link.”
11/01/08 Allison Hoffman/Associated Press/San Jose Mercury News, USA