Indian scholar at Columbia University Ranjani Srinivasan self-deports after visa revocation, accused of supporting Hamas

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has introduced that an Indian doctoral scholar from Columbia University, whose visa was revoked for allegedly supporting Hamas, has voluntarily left the United States. The scholar, 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 attributable to safety considerations.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem confirmed the self-deportation and issued an announcement 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 elevated scrutiny of international college students within the US following pro-Palestinian protests on faculty campuses. Another Columbia scholar, Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from the West Bank, was arrested by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers in Newark for overstaying her F-1 scholar visa, which had expired on January 26, 2022. Kordia had beforehand been arrested in April 2024 for taking part in pro-Hamas protests at Columbia University.
The DHS has not launched additional particulars about Srinivasan’s alleged actions however confirmed that video footage of her departure utilizing the CBP Home App had been obtained.

Who is Ranjani Srinivasan?

Ranjani Srinivasan is an Indian nationwide who was pursuing a doctoral diploma 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 web site, her analysis focuses on “the evolving nature of land-labour relations in peri-urban statutory towns in India,” with broader pursuits in “the political economy of development, the spatial politics of land, and the sociology of labour.”
The US authorities has not disclosed extra particulars concerning the particular causes behind the visa revocation past allegations of supporting Hamas.