[jka]

It's not particularly clear at least from the website (which initially looks fairly legitimate, and has a .edu domain name) that there were no classes, and it does state that they offer F-1 visas.

It's possible that some of the students had transferred from other educational institutions and did indeed want to remain in the U.S. - it's a huge matter of prestige and hope for some families to send their children to the U.S. for education.

I'm sure there's some aspect of gaming going on with educational visas; what I'm not convinced about is whether setting up elaborate (and likely expensive) schemes like this -- which end up seeming a lot like entrapment, and risk criminalizing and punishing vulnerable individuals -- is the best way to approach handling the problem.