Thu Mar 27 14:43:15 UTC 2025: ## Indian PhD Student Self-Deports to Canada After US Visa Revoked, Accuses Columbia University of Betrayal
**New York/Toronto** – Ranjini Srinivasan, a 37-year-old Indian PhD candidate at Columbia University, has self-deported to Canada after her student visa was revoked by the US government. Srinivasan, a Fulbright recipient nearing completion of her doctorate in public planning, alleges she was targeted for her perceived support of Hamas, a designation she denies.
The US government, citing unspecified evidence, labelled Srinivasan a “terrorist sympathizer” on social media, prompting her dramatic escape from the US. She recounted receiving an email on March 5th revoking her visa, followed by ICE agents arriving at her apartment. Fearing detention, Srinivasan fled, captured on CCTV footage at LaGuardia Airport leaving the country for Canada on March 11th.
Srinivasan expresses profound disappointment and betrayal towards Columbia University, stating she dedicated countless hours to her studies. She claims to have completed all PhD requirements and is appealing to the university to award her the degree. Columbia University has yet to publicly comment on the situation or the allegations against them.
The lack of transparency surrounding the visa revocation and the accusations against Srinivasan has raised concerns. No concrete evidence supporting the terrorist sympathizer claim has been publicly released, and it remains unclear whether Srinivasan’s political views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were the sole basis for the action taken against her, or whether she violated any agreements with the university regarding political expression.
Srinivasan, currently residing in Canada, awaits the outcome of her appeal to Columbia and faces an uncertain future, highlighting the potentially far-reaching consequences of accusations made without publicly available evidence. Her case underscores anxieties about free speech and the treatment of foreign students in the US.
First Piper 