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'Atmosphere was dangerous': Ranjani Srinivasan explains why she left US
Srinivasan was a PhD scholar at Columbia University, pursuing her doctorate in urban planning.
Indian student Ranjani Srinivasan left the United States for Canada after the Donald Trump administration revoked her student visa on allegations of being a ‘terrorist sympathiser’. In her first public remarks after the ‘self-deportation’, she revealed the reason for her leaving the country.
In an interview with the New York Times, the 37-year-old said she made a quick decision to leave New York to fly to Canada as the atmosphere was ‘dangerous’.
“The atmosphere seemed so volatile and dangerous. So I just made a quick decision,” she said in the interview.
Srinivasan was a PhD scholar at Columbia University, pursuing her doctorate in urban planning. Before this, she got her master’s degree from Harvard on a Fullbright scholarship.
“I’m fearful that even the most low-level political speech or just doing what we all do — like shout into the abyss that is social media — can turn into this dystopian nightmare where somebody is calling you a terrorist sympathizer and making you, literally, fear for your life and your safety,” she added in the interview.
Federal agents showed up at her door at the University campus more than a week ago on a Friday morning looking for her. They returned on Saturday after she did not open the door the first time. She took a flight out of LaGuardia Airport before the agents came looking for her again last Thursday.
Why was Ranjani Srinivasan’s student visa revoked?
Ranjani Srinivasan first learned of her visa cancellation on March 5, when she received an email from the US Consulate in Chennai. The email cited “information that has come to light,” but without further explanation. Confused and unsure, she reached out to Columbia’s international student office for guidance.
Srinivasan said that soon after her student visa was revoked, the university withdrew her enrollment because her legal status had been terminated. The situation escalated after the Department of Homeland Security accused Srinivasan of supporting Hamas, a claim for which no evidence was provided.
In response to the allegations, Srinivasan’s legal team rejected the accusations, calling them part of a broader crackdown on political speech.
Srinivasan was arrested at the varsity entrance on a day when pro-Palestinian protesters had occupied Hamilton Hall, a building on campus last year. She argued she was not actively part of the crowd but was only trying to return home after a picnic with friends when she got caught in the crowd. The case was later dismissed.
After Srinivasan fled, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem shared surveillance footage of her departure, labeling them a “terrorist sympathizer” and celebrating her flight as a “self-deportation.”
