New York/Washington, March 15 - An Indian student studying at Columbia University, whose visa was revoked by the US for allegedly "advocating violence and terrorism" and engaging in activities supporting Hamas, has left the country on her own accord and been deported from the US.
The Indian student, Ranjani Srinivasan, was in the US on an F-1 student visa as a doctoral student in urban planning at Columbia University, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. The statement claimed that Srinivasan was involved in activities supporting Hamas, a terrorist organisation.
The State Department had revoked her visa on March 5. The Department of Homeland Security said it had obtained video footage of Srinivasan using the Customs and Border Protection Home app on March 11.
Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem said in a statement that it is “a privilege to be granted a visa to live and study in the United States.”
“When you advocate violence and terrorism, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country,” she said. I was pleased to see that one of the terrorist sympathizers at Columbia University used the CBP Home app to self-deport.”
Another student, Leka Kordia, a Palestinian from the West Bank, was arrested by ICE HSI Newark officers for overstaying her F-1 visa. Her visa expired on January 26, 2022, for lack of attendance. The department said that previously, in April 2024, Kordia was arrested for participating in pro-Hamas protests at Columbia University in New York City.