The F-1 student visa of Ranjani Srinivasan, a Chennai-based Doctoral candidate at Columbia University in the US, was revoked for participating in pro-Palestine protests by the State Department, the department responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations.
A press release from Homeland Security said that Ranjani self-deported from the US on March 11 after their (Ranjani uses the pronoun they) visa was revoked.
Earlier, on April 30, 2024, Columbia University students protested against the war in Gaza. They barricaded themselves inside Hamilton hall on campus. On May 1, 2024, New York police stormed the hall and arrested students. According to the Associated Press, the university via an email in 2025 said that they have been instructed by a judicial board to initiate action against students who had participated in the protests last year. On Thursday, March 13, several students were expelled and several others were suspended, reports said.
Ranjani reportedly participated in the protests but it is unclear whether they were arrested by the New York Police. On March 5, the Department of State revoked Ranjani’s F-1 student visa. Ranjani then used the CBP Home App to self-deport on March 11.
The US government has said that the revocation of the visa was for “supporting Hamas." Meanwhile, Columbia University in a statement said, “Today, the Columbia University Judicial Board determined findings and issued sanctions to students ranging from multi-year suspensions, temporary degree revocations, and expulsions related to the occupation of Hamilton Hall last spring.
With respect to other events taking place last spring, the UJB’s determinations recognized previously imposed disciplinary action. The return of suspended students will be overseen by Columbia’s University Life Office. Columbia is committed to enforcing the University’s Rules and Policies and improving our disciplinary processes.”
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in a press statement 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 sympathisers use the CBP Home app to self-deport.”
Ranjani was a Doctoral Candidate in Urban Planning at Columbia GSAPP. They completed their Bachelor’s in Design from CEPT University Ahmedabad and went on to pursue their master’s degree in Critical Conservation at the Graduate School of Design in Harvard University.