The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed that Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian doctoral student at Columbia University, has voluntarily left the United States after her visa was revoked for allegedly supporting Hamas.
Srinivasan, who was studying Urban Planning at Columbia on an F-1 student visa, departed on March 11, 2025, using the CBP Home App, following the cancellation of her visa on March 5 due to security concerns. Video footage of her self-deportation has been obtained, according to officials.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem commented on the case via a post on X, stating that holding a U.S. visa is a privilege, and those who advocate violence and terrorism should have that privilege revoked.
Srinivasan’s academic background includes an M.Phil in Urban Planning from Columbia’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. Her research primarily focuses on the shifting dynamics of land-labor relations in India’s peri-urban regions, political economy, land-use politics, and labor sociology.
