Thomas College, a private post-secondary institution in Waterville, Maine, is under scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice following a whistleblower’s report of a group of Chinese national students who entered the U.S. under student visas to enroll at the school for the 2024-2025 academic year, but have since disappeared and are believed to still be in the United States.

In a letter to Thomas College President Dr. Jeannine Diddle Uzzi and Board of Trustees Chair Kelley Shimansky, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Edward R. Martin, Jr. requested answers regarding the whereabouts of these students and their compliance with federal student visa laws.

The letter, dated April 24, 2025, raises concerns about whether Chinese nationals, potentially linked to the Chinese Communist Party, may be violating federal laws related to student visas and residency.

“As United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, I receive requests for information and clarification. I take these requests seriously and act on them with letters like this one you are receiving,” U.S. Attorney Martin wrote to the Thomas College leaders.

“It has come to my attention through a whistleblower that you have experienced a dramatic decrease in attendance on your campus by Chinese nationals who are/were enrolled in your college this academic year,” Martin wrote.

“As of today, I cannot confirm this decrease but a question has risen as to whether these Chinese nationals who may be related to the Chinese Communist Party are breaking federal law(s) dealing with student visas and residency,” he wrote.

A federal law enforcement source told the Maine Wire that the letter to Thomas College was part of a much bigger probe into the disappearance of Chinese nationals who entered the country legally on student visas but subsequently disappeared into the interior of the U.S.

One source told the Maine Wire that a Chinese student was seen fleeing from a Thomas College bus driver who had gone to the airport to pick them up.

Martin’s inquiry specifically asks the college to provide the number of Chinese students enrolled this year, how many showed up to campus on time, whether the college has reported non-attendance, and if the college is confident that state law enforcement is adequately protecting Maine citizens.

Martin has requested a response from Thomas College by May 15, 2025, and offered to meet in person with the college president and board of trustees chair to discuss the matter further.

Thomas College has not responded to the Maine Wire’s inquiries about the MIA Chinese students.

Read U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Edward R. Martin, Jr.’s full letter to Thomas College below: