US authorities revoked Ranjani Srinivasan’s student visa, accusing her of promoting violence and supporting terrorism. As a result, the Indian national and PhD student at Columbia University left the country soon after.

On Friday, US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem confirmed the news. She stated that Srinivasan voluntarily departed using the CBP Home App.

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement: “Today, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that one of the Columbia students who had her student visa revoked for advocating violence and terrorism self-deported using the CBP Home App, and ICE arrested a Palestinian student for overstaying her expired F-1 visa.”

Why Did the US Revoke Her Visa?

Srinivasan was pursuing a PhD in Urban Planning at Columbia University. She had entered the US on an F-1 student visa. However, on March 5, 2025, the US Department of State revoked her visa. Officials claimed she was involved in activities supporting Hamas, which the US considers a terrorist organization.

Furthermore, DHS stated that they had obtained video evidence of Srinivasan using the CBP Home App to leave the US on March 11.

US Arrests Another Student for Visa Violation

In a separate case, US immigration officers arrested Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian student from the West Bank. Her visa had been canceled on January 26, 2022, due to poor attendance. Since she remained in the US illegally, authorities took action.

Additionally, DHS revealed that this was not her first run-in with the law. In April 2024, police arrested Kordia for participating in pro-Hamas protests at Columbia University in New York City.