How Ranjani Srinivasan Evaded US Immigration Officials Twice Before Her Departure

Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian Ph.D. student at Columbia University, departed the United States shortly after allegedly dodging federal immigration authorities twice. The 37-year-old, who was studying for a Ph.D. in urban planning, found that her student visa was revoked by the Trump administration.

Agents alleged her visa was revoked because of claims of “advocating for terrorism and violence,” but they would not release any solid evidence. Lawyers for Srinivasan have denied all claims, saying she was not engaged in illegal practices.

How Srinivasan Outsmarted Immigration Agents Twice

Srinivasan had previously faced immigration officials eight days earlier when three federal agents had visited her Columbia University apartment. Knowing that she was no longer in possession of a valid visa, she did not open the door, according to The New York Times.

Later that evening, officials came back, hours after another Columbia student, Mahmoud Khalil, was taken into custody by immigration officials. Srinivasan was not home then, though.

Afraid to be arrested, she hurriedly packed some items, left her cat with a friend, and purchased an eleventh-hour ticket to Canada out of LaGuardia Airport. When immigration officials came for the third time with a judicial warrant, she had already departed the country.

“The air was just so explosive and risky,” Srinivasan told The New York Times in an interview, the first time she has spoken publicly since her departure. “So I simply made a snap decision.”

Columbia University Faces Federal Pressure

Columbia University has faced harsh criticism from the Trump administration. After the university was unable to quell student and faculty protests against Israel’s military incursions in Gaza, the government canceled $400 million in federal grants and contracts, mostly for medical research.

President Donald Trump and his administration labeled the protesters as “pro-Hamas,” referring to the militant group behind the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Also, the administration threatened to permanently eliminate federal funding if Columbia made no drastic changes, such as revising its admissions process and subjecting its Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department to outside review for five years.

The turmoil at the university mounted after Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian protester who took part in last spring’s demonstrations, was arrested. His arrest has heightened the crisis on Columbia’s campus, as fears of academic freedom and political speech have mounted.