The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that an Indian doctoral student from Columbia University, whose visa was revoked for supporting Hamas, has self-deported using the CBP Home App.
Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian national and doctoral student in Urban Planning at Columbia University, entered the United States on a F-1 student visa. According to the DHS, Srinivasan was involved in activities supporting Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.
On March 5, 2025, the US Department of State revoked her visa. The department confirmed that she self-deported on March 11, 2025, using the CBP Home App, and video footage of the process has been obtained.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem issued a statement regarding 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.”
Palestinian Student Arrested for Overstaying Visa
In a separate incident, another student Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from West Bank, was arrested by ICE HSI Newark officers for overstaying her expired F-1 student visa. Her visa terminated on January 26, 2022, for lack of attendance.
The DHS has recently launched a new mobile app, CBP Home, which includes a self-deportation reporting tool for undocumented individuals living in the United States. This app aims to encourage voluntary departure as a safer and more cost-effective alternative to traditional enforcement methods.
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