The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that an Indian doctoral student from Columbia University, whose visa was revoked after being accused of supporting Hamas, has voluntarily self-deported. Using the CBP Home App, the student facilitated their departure from the United States, following the cancellation of their visa due to the security concerns raised by their actions.
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Who is Ranjani Srinivasan?
Ranjani Srinivasan is an Indian national student who was pursuing a doctoral degree in Urban Planning at Columbia University and entered the United States on an F-1 student visa. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed that Srinivasan became involved in activities that were deemed to support Hamas, officially designated as a terrorist organization.
Srinivasan, a Fulbright recipient, has an impressive academic background. They hold an M.Phil in Urban Planning from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP). Additionally, they earned a Master’s in Design from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) in Design from CEPT University, according to their bio on NYU Wagner’s official website.
Srinivasan’s bio on NYU Wagner’s official website describes, “Their research focuses on the evolving nature of land-labour relations in peri-urban statutory towns in India. Broadly, this project aims to examine shifts in the political economy of labour that have now culminated in the current crisis of jobless growth.”
It also revealed that their primary areas of interest “in the political economy of development, the spatial politics of land, and the sociology of labour.”
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The US department revokes Srinivasan’s visa
Srinivasan’s visa was revoked by the US Department of State on March 5, 2025. The department later confirmed that she voluntarily self-deported themselves by using the CBP Home app on March 11, 2025, and a video of the process was also obtained.
In a statement issued by the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated about the deportation, “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.”
