Who is Ranjani Srinivasan, Indian scholar self-deports after US visa revoked over 'advocating terrorism'

A Fulbright recipient, she holds an M.Phil in Urban Planning from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP)

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Friday that an Indian doctoral student from Columbia University, whose visa was revoked for supporting Hamas, has self-deported using the CBP Home App.

Who is Ranjani Srinivasan and why was her visa revoked?

Ranjani Srinivasan, a citizen and national of India, entered the United States on a F-1 student visa as doctoral student in Urban Planning at Columbia University.

According to the DHS, Srinivasan was involved in activities supporting Hamas, a designated terrorist organisation.

On March 5, 2025, the Department of State revoked her visa. DHS said it has acquired video evidence showing her using the CBP Home App to self-deport on March 11.

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 from CEPT University in India.

Commenting on the case, US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said, “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.”

Palestinian student arrested

The DHS also revealed that another student named Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from West Bank, was arrested by ICE HSI Newark officers for overstaying her expired F-1 student visa. Her visa terminated on January 26, 2022, for lack of attendance.

Previously, in April 2024, Kordia was arrested for her involvement in pro-Hamas protests at Columbia University in New York City.