Cat left behind, last-minute flight: How Columbia student Ranjani Srinivasan fled US
ByHT News Desk
Mar 16, 2025 12:26 PM IST
Ranjani Srinivasan left behind her academic life at Columbia University and the life she had built since arriving in the US from India as a Fulbright scholar.
Leaving her cat with a friend and booking a last-minute flight, Ranjani Srinivasan, an international student from India, fled the United States after her student visa was revoked and federal immigration agents arrived at her door.
Ranjani Srinivasan is a student of Urban Planning at Columbia University(X/Sec_Noem)
Ranjani Srinivasan is a student of Urban Planning at Columbia University(X/Sec_Noem)
The 37-year-old, who was pursuing a doctoral degree in urban planning at Columbia University, had recently discovered that her visa had been canceled.
She made a swift decision to leave, saying, “The atmosphere seemed so volatile and dangerous,” as quoted by The New York Times.
Srinivasan abandoned her apartment and belongings, flying to Canada in search of safety. Her flight from LaGuardia Airport followed a week of repeated visits from federal immigration agents, who had been searching for her since her visa was revoked.
The report further added that she had become entangled in the government’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests, with accusations of supporting violence and links to Hamas, though no evidence was provided.
Srinivasan first learned of her visa cancellation on March 5, when she received an email from the US Consulate in Chennai. Confused and unsure, she reached out to Columbia’s international student office for guidance.
However, by March 7, when immigration agents arrived, she was already in the process of leaving the country. Her decision to flee came after a night of fear and uncertainty.
“I’m fearful that even the smallest political speech or social media post can turn into a nightmare,” Srinivasan told The New York Times.
The situation reached a dramatic point when agents arrived at her apartment. Srinivasan, who had already arranged her escape, was on the phone at that moment. “I was on the phone with my friend in Canada, figuring out the details of my flight, when I heard the doorbell. I panicked,” she recalled.
Her roommate was left to handle the situation. “The agents were persistent. My roommate had to explain that I had already left and was gone,” Srinivasan said. “It was a moment of sheer tension,” she added.
In her rush to Canada, Srinivasan left behind her academic life at Columbia and the life she had built since arriving in the US from India as a Fulbright scholar.
“I’m just surprised that I’m a person of interest. I never thought something like this would happen to me. I’m just trying to figure out what comes next,” she said.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Srinavasan voluntarily self-deported.
In a statement issued by the US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated about the deportation, “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.”
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