You quoted one specific "Government immigration program"... This is not a Government immigration program.
Here is an example...
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In Washington D.C. the average of about $437.00 a week is paid, to the HOST, for high-school students to be housed. Though, you can setup whatever you want for charges, through various "legal" methods.
Honestly, the requirements are simply that there are enough rooms, a clean background check, provisions for sanitation and food. I know two exchange students who have less than that. I also have a friend who went to school overseas, and she was literally forced to clean and stay inside her whole time there.
But, you will find that this setup is more like a "paid-bride" setup. That is why I brought that up. They are similar arrangements. That is 100% illegal, but it happens, a lot.
You are confusing two things, as one... The discharge (army issue) and the house-arrest (civilian charges).
I will try to make that more clear in the intro. (That is my fault for the overlap. I thought it was more clear than it was.)
He was 17, enlisted with his foster parents consent, with the agreement that he "make-up the missing funds". He could have enlisted as an emancipated adult, at 17 also. Or, under state consent, since he was a state-child adoption.
In any event, he is 18+ now, and discharged, which is a form of rejection and denial. Anyways, that was just art. He was discharged due to the "joke", which outed the senior-officer as a child-molester. (priest... I didn't know he even knew any boys) The government kept that under wraps, for obvious reasons. However, that left Gage with the "other charges", with how he pulled-off the "joke". That is later in the story. But that is why he was arrested, as a civilian, facing civilian charges, instead of military charges, which would have brought attention to the "child boy molesting senior officer".
When a person in the army gets a speeding ticket, heading to the base, he is charged (possibly, but likely not), by the state, for speeding. He may ALSO face charges/reprimand, by the army. The same works in reverse. If a person in the army hits a pedestrian, on base, he may be discharged and ALSO face civilian criminal charges. (Though, that too is not something done often.. they tend to have a 30-strikes rule. Thinking back to my step-father, who did that a LOT and got no punishment, just because he was in the navy. He retired as a senior-chief petty officer. Threw my ass across the room a few times too. I was a rotten step-child. lol.)
Then the "house-arrest", was the workings of Dave, and the strings he had pulled. Again, later-game expanded there...
Like I said, this is an actual "Story", not a porn-flick... Nothing will be instantly gratified in one line of text, or in one paragraph. Like a movie or an actual story, things build-up and get fully explained later. I am not trying to write a scientific novel, or state-law-aid here.
But, honestly, saying that a car-chase is unbelievable, because the "law states that speeding is illegal, and driving on the wrong side of the road is illegal, and cop-car chases are illegal", defies the reality of "why it is illegal", because "it happens a LOT", enough to warrant making a law against doing it.
It is also illegal for the U.S. post-office to throw away undelivered mail, but they do it, every Christmas.
Hazing is also illegal in the Military, but it is still done to almost every person, stepping-up in rank.
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Going back to the beginning of the game...
Presently, Gage is flying away, to get his head clear. He is talking to another passenger on the plane.
He starts to tell his story, of why he is leaving to get his head straight... But can't summarize it. So, he continues, in more detail.
Then the title shows, again, as he "gives you the long version", from that point forward. Saying, "this is a long flight, enjoy the story of my torrid affairs".
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I am open to suggestions, to have that made more clear.