The US Home Safety Department (DHS) has announced that an Indian doctoral student from Colombia University has done self-departs using the CBP Home App. The security department said that its visa was canceled due to supporting Hamas. Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian citizen and a doctorate student in Urban Planning at Columbia University, entered the US on F-1 student visa. According to DHS, Srinivasan was involved in the activities supporting Hamas.
On March 5, 2025, the US State Department canceled the visa of Ranjani Srinivasan. The department said that after this they did self-departed using the CBP Home App on March 11, 2025 and also made video footage.
US Home Safety Secretary Christie Nom issued a statement about exile, “It is a privilege to get a visa to live and study in the United States. When you advocate violence and terrorism, that privilege should be canceled and you should not live in this country. I was happy to see one of the supporters of Columbia University using CBP Home App for self-dispensation.”
Palestinian student arrested
Meanwhile, another incident is also under discussion. Leca Kordia, another Palestinian student of West Bank, was arrested by the Ice HSI Newarark officials for over the period of her finished F-1 student visa. His visa ended on January 26, 2022 due to lack of attendance.
Also read: The case is related to the correct pronunciation of the name of Columbia University during the lecture in JNU
DHS has recently launched a new mobile app, CBP Home, which includes self-disbursement reporting tools for un-term-docks living in the US. The purpose of this app is to encourage voluntary departure as a safe and more cost -effective option for traditional enforcement methods.