Washington DC: Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian national and a doctoral student at Columbia University, voluntarily left the country. Srinivasan’s visa was revoked for allegedly supporting Hamas. In a statement on Friday (local time), US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said that Srinivasan, a student in Urban Planning at Columbia University, self-deported using the CBP Home App.
"Today, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that one of the Columbia students who had her student visa revoked for advocating for violence and terrorism self-deported using the CBP Home App and ICE arrested a Palestinian student for overstaying her expired F-1 visa," according to a release by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
"Ranjani Srinivasan, a citizen and national of India, entered the United States on a F-1 student visa as a doctoral student in Urban Planning at Columbia University. Srinivasan was involved in activities supporting Hammas, a terrorist organization. On March 5, 2025, the Department of State revoked her visa. The Department of Homeland Security has obtained video footage of her using the CBP Home App to self-deport on March 11," the release stated.
Who Is Ranjani Srinivasan?
She is an Indian national. Srinivasan entered the United States on an F-1 student visa as a doctoral student in Urban Planning at Columbia University. As per Srinivasan’s bio on NYU Wagner’s official website, she pursued an M.Phil in Urban Planning from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP). She also reportedly has 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 in Ahmedabad.
On March 5, 2025, the Department of State revoked her visa. The Department of Homeland Security has obtained video footage of her using the CBP Home App to self-deport on March 11.
Secretary Kristi Noem's Tweet
Additionally, Secretary Noem said that holding a US visa is a privilege.
"It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live & 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'm glad to see one of the Columbia University terrorist sympathizers use the CBP Home app to self-deport," she wrote in a post on X.
Earlier this month, a former Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil was arrested by the US authorities. Khalil is of Palestinian descent. According to reports, he actively participated pro-Palestine protest at the Columbia University campus last year.
