The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that an Indian doctoral student from Columbia University, whose visa was revoked for allegedly supporting Hamas, has voluntarily left the United States. The student, Ranjani Srinivasan, used the CBP Home App to self-deport on March 11, 2025, after the Department of State cancelled her visa on March 5 due to security concerns.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem confirmed the self-deportation and issued a statement saying, “It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live and study in the United States of America. When you advocate for violence and terrorism, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country. I am glad to see one of the Columbia University terrorist sympathizers use the CBP Home App to self-deport.”
Srinivasan’s case comes amid increased scrutiny of foreign students in the US following pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses. Another Columbia student, Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from the West Bank, was arrested by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers in Newark for overstaying her F-1 student visa, which had expired on January 26, 2022. Kordia had previously been arrested in April 2024 for participating in pro-Hamas protests at Columbia University.
Also read: Who is Ranjani Srinivasan? Why did the US revoke the Indian scholar’s visa?
The DHS has not released further details about Srinivasan’s alleged activities but confirmed that video footage of her departure using the CBP Home App had been obtained.
Who is Ranjani Srinivasan?
Ranjani Srinivasan is an Indian national who was pursuing a doctoral degree in Urban Planning at Columbia University. A Fulbright recipient, she holds an M.Phil in Urban Planning from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP), a Master’s in Design from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, and a Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) from CEPT University in India.
According to Srinivasan’s bio on NYU Wagner’s official website, her research focuses on “the evolving nature of land-labour relations in peri-urban statutory towns in India,” with broader interests in “the political economy of development, the spatial politics of land, and the sociology of labour.”
The US government has not disclosed additional details regarding the specific reasons behind the visa revocation beyond allegations of supporting Hamas.
Source Homevior.in
