An Indian student studying at Columbia University in the US has self-deported themselves from the country, days after their student visa was revoked for participating in pro-Palestine protests.
US Department of Homeland Security revoked Indian student Ranjani Srinivasan's visa on 5 March for "advocating violence and terrorism", reports NDTV.
"Ranjani Srinivasan was involved in activities supporting Hamas, a terrorist organisation. On 5 March 2025, the Department of State revoked her visa. The Department of Homeland Security has obtained video footage of her using the Customs and Border Protection (CPB) agency app to self-deport on 11 March," it said in a statement.
Self-deporting, or leaving voluntarily before authorities take action, avoids the risk of one being put on a US military aircraft and sent home like the deportees who recently arrived in India.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted a video of Srinivasan at the airport and said that anyone "advocating for violence and terrorism should not be in the country".
"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," she said in a post on X.
Srinivasan is a doctoral student in urban planning at Columbia University. According to the school's website, Srinivasan refers to themselves with the gender-neutral "they" pronoun.
Columbia University has been the Ground Zero of student protests in support of Palestine amid the raging Israel-Hamas war. Last week, a former Columbia student of Palestinian descent Mahmoud Khalil - who was at the forefront of the pro-Palestinian protests on campus last year - was arrested by the US authorities. While his green card has been revoked, a federal judge has put Khalil's deportation on hold temporarily.
Another Columbia University student, Leqaa Kordia, was arrested by an immigration official for overstaying her student visa. She was arrested last year for her involvement in pro-Palestine protests in New York.
According to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the Justice Department and Homeland Security are investigating whether Columbia was "harbouring and concealing illegal aliens on its campus".
