The 37-year-old PhD scholar at Columbia University, Ranjani Srinivasan, who self-deported after her F-1 visa was revoked, has said she decided to leave the US fearing for her safety, The New York Times said in a report. Srinivasan said she packed a suitcase, left her cat behind with a friend, and boarded a flight to Canada from LaGuardia airport, the report stated. Her departure was swift, and by the time the agents returned the next evening with a judicial warrant, Srinivasan was already in Canada.
Srinivasan’s visa was revoked in early March. NYT reported that she received an email from the US Consulate in Chennai on March 5 informing her of the development, citing “information that has come to light,” but without further explanation.
On March 7, federal immigration agents arrived at her off-campus apartment in New York for the first time and Srinivasan did not open the door. The agents returned the next night when she was not at home. The third visit by the agents was on March 13, when they showed up with a judicial warrant and entered Srinivasan’s home. The student had escaped by then, the report said.
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Srinivasan said that soon after her student visa was revoked, the university withdrew her enrolment because her legal status had been terminated.
NYT quoted Srinivasan’s roommate, who described the agents as initially identifying themselves as “police,” but then refusing to provide badge numbers. They pressured the roommate to open the door and warned that Srinivasan was “now amenable to removal proceedings.” The agents also said, “You’re probably scared. If you are, I get it.”
Srinivasan’s escape followed several tense encounters with immigration authorities. As the agents continued to visit her apartment, they created an atmosphere of fear, repeatedly warning that they would return. One agent told the roommate, “We’re here today. We’re here tonight. Tomorrow. You’re probably scared… the reality is, your visa was revoked.”
The situation escalated after the Department of Homeland Security accused Srinivasan of supporting Hamas, a claim for which no evidence was provided. In response to the allegations, Srinivasan’s legal team rejected the accusations, calling them part of a broader crackdown on political speech. “For at least a week, D.H.S. has made clear its intent to punish her for her speech,” NYT quoted one of Srinivasan’s lawyers as saying.
After Srinivasan fled, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem shared surveillance footage of her departure, labeling them a “terrorist sympathizer” and celebrating her flight as a “self-deportation.” However, Srinivasan’s lawyers argued that this was an infringement on her constitutional rights, asserting that she was targeted for her political views and activism, including social media posts and participation in pro-Palestinian movements.
Srinivasan’s current situation can be traced back to last year, NYT said, when she was arrested at the varsity entrance on a day when pro-Palestinian protesters had occupied Hamilton Hall, a building on campus. She argued she was not actively part of the crowd but were only trying to return home after a picnic with friends when she got caught in the crowd.
She was briefly detained and received two summonses “one for obstructing vehicular or pedestrian traffic and another for refusing to disperse”. According to NYT, the case was dismissed. She also did not face disciplinary action from the university and were “in good academic standing”.
Srinivasan said she is an architect who was supposed to graduate in May. Her activity on social media had been mostly “limited to liking or sharing posts that highlighted human rights violations in the war in Gaza”. “I’m just surprised that I’m a person of interest,” she said. “I’m kind of a rando, like, absolute rando,” using slang for random, NYT quoted her as saying.