Ranjani Srinivasan, a 37-year-old PhD candidate at Columbia University, recounts her harrowing experience beginning with a suspected spam email indicating her visa revocation. She recounts the subsequent confusion, fear, and sense of security breach when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents visited her accommodation without a warrant, leading to her eventual departure to Canada. The situation escalated with President Donald Trump’s administration accusing her of being a “terrorist sympathizer”, causing a storm of misinformation and endangering her and her family’s safety. Srinivasan left the US claims innocence and hopes for university support to reverse her status and complete her PhD. Her ordeal highlights concerns regarding the handling of international students, perceived vulnerability, and the potential for state interference in academic freedoms at Columbia University.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/3/27/columbia-let-me-down-how-indian-scholar-expelled-by-trump-fled-the-us?traffic_source=rss