Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian doctoral student at Columbia University, has left the country after her immigration was suspended for alleged help for Hamas.
On March 11, 2025, the US Department of Homeland Security ( DHS) confirmed that she self-deported using the CBP Home App. Due to security concerns, the State Department revoked her card on March 5. Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, argued that those who support terrorism and violence if not be able to remain in the country.
Srinivasan was charged by the US government with supporting Hamas and advocating for crime. Her immigration was revoked as part of a broader efforts to scrutinize international individuals who engage in pro-Palestinian engagement, despite leaders ‘ lack of specific details.
Why did she deport herself?
The CBP Home App, which was introduced as part of a Trump-era immigration coverage, enables non-citizens to practice their voluntarily emigrating from the US. After her immigration was terminated, Srinivasan used this have to keep. This action comes as the US government puts more restrictions on international students who engage in pro-Palestinian engagement.
The CBP Home game, according to Columbia Spectator, was a modified version of the CBP One software that was first released in Donald Trump’s second term in October 2020. Eventually, the Biden administration expanded CBP One to facilitate the scheduling of immigration hearings for asylum seekers. When Trump won the election, his leadership changed the app’s design to incorporate a self-deportation have.
Who is Ranjani SrinivasanRanjani Srinivasan is an Indian national and a Fulbright scholar. She was pursuing a Ph.D. in Urban Planning at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP). She also holds an M.Phil from Columbia, a Master’s in Design from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, and a Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) from CEPT University in India.
According to her profile on NYU Wagner’s established website, her study focuses on” the evolving nature of land-labour relationships in peri-urban statutory cities in India,” with broader objectives in” the political sector of creation, the spatial politicians of land, and the sociologists of labor.”
