How Ranjani Srinivasan fled US after immigration agents came for her
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flight, Ranjani Srinivasan, an international student from India, fled the United States after her student visa was revoked and federal immigration agents arrived at her door.
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followed a week of repeated visits from federal immigration agents, who had been searching for her since her visa was revoked.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 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,” Srinivasan told The New York Times.
The situation became dramatic when agents arrived at her apartment. Srinivasan, who had already arranged her escape, was on the phone at the time.
She recalled that she was discussing her flight details with a friend in Canada when she heard the doorbell and panicked.
Her roommate had to handle the situation as the agents were persistent, explaining that Srinivasan had already left. The report added that the agents' relentless search left her roommate to manage the pressure.
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,” she said. “I’m kind of a rando, like, absolute rando,” she said, using slang for random.
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.”
