'Left my cat behind...': Indian student who self-deported from US says, 'Columbia let me down'

Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian student enrolled at Columbia University, who self-deported to Canada after her student visa was revoked for allegedly supporting Hamas, broke the silence about her ordeal on Thursday (March 27). 

The 37-year-old Indian PhD student never imagined that her academic journey at the Ivy League university would come to such a drastic end. 

She stressed that her university, Columbia University has "let her down", hoping that her enrolment at the university will be restored. 

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Srinivasan was accused of being a supporter and sympathiser of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. She was about to complete her PhD when US President Donald Trump's administration revoked her student visa for her alleged involvement in propagating and aligning with Hamas.

Her student visa was renewed in December - just a month before Trump's inauguration at the White House.

"I spent five years at Columbia University, working, I don't know, maybe 100 hours a week sometimes. I never expected the institution to let me down. But it did," she told Al Jazeera in an interview.

"I hope Columbia comes to its senses and re-enrolls me," she said, hoping for fairness and justice from an institution of global repute.

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"All the requirements for my PhD are complete, and whatever is left, I don't even need to be in the US for it," she said, adding "So, I'm trying to appeal to Columbia" for them to do their bit.

How was she self deported?

Srinivasan received an email on March 6 when she woke up in her Columbia-owned apartment from the US consulate in Chennai, informing her that her visa had been cancelled. 

She immediately checked the official immigration portal and found confirmation that her visa, which was renewed months earlier until 2029, was no longer valid.

As she panicked, Srinivasan contacted Columbia's International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO). 

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Later, the office assured her that her student status (I-20) was still intact and scheduled a Zoom meeting for the next day.

The Next day, ten minutes into that Zoom call, there was a knock on her door. 

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement were on the door, who without properly identifying themselves, demanded entry, and said they intended to place her in removal proceedings. Her roommate refused to open the door.

“I freaked out. Why is ICE at my door?” Srinivasan recalled. “You live in Columbia housing, a place you’d consider safe. The fact that they entered without a warrant was terrifying.”

The ISSO adviser on the call, visibly shocked, muted herself to make frantic calls before providing Srinivasan with a list of lawyers. She said Columbia’s Public Safety advised her not to open the door but offered little else.

The next day, the agents returned to her door, warning that they would keep coming "every day" until she was placed in removal proceedings. 

It was the same day when Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian Green Card holder and protest leader, was arrested from Columbia housing.

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“That’s when I realized I have no rights in this system,” Srinivasan said. “Columbia knew ICE was operating on campus but seemed uninterested in intervening.”

And, by March 9, Columbia revoked her student's status and ordered her to vacate university housing. 

However, she did not wait for deportation and with no legal recourse, she packed a single bag, leaving behind her furniture, belongings, and even her cat, Cricket—and fled to Canada on March 11 using a visitor visa she had previously secured for academic workshops and conferences.

Three days later, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted a photo of Srinivasan on X, calling her a "terrorist sympathiser" and claiming that she had "self-deported" using a border control app. 

“If supporting the idea of human rights or ending a genocide is equated with supporting Hamas, then anyone in proximity to me – without me having done anything – can just be picked up and made an example of,” Srinivasan said.

(With inputs from agencies)