NEWYORK: Two foreign students affiliated with Columbia University were charged with violating immigration laws.
One of the students self-deported, while the other was arrested for staying in the United States despite expiring of her visa.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the visa of Ranjani Srinivasan, a PhD student in urban planning, had been revoked this month for alleged support for Hamas.
Authorities said Srinivasan used the Customs and Border Protection mobile app to self-deport herself before leaving for Canada on March 11.
A video released by DHS shows Srinivasan traveling at La Guardia Airport.
On the other hand, Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian student living in the United States on a student visa, was arrested for staying in the country illegally after her visa expired.
According to DHS, Kordia’s visa expired in January 2022. Although Columbia University said she was not a student of the university while DHS said she was arrested by New York police in April last year during pro-Palestinian protests near the university.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noam said in a statement that when a person supports terrorism and violence, they lose their right to remain in the United States.
Columbia University Interim President Katrina Armstrong said that DHS executed search warrants at two university residence buildings but no arrests were made.
Meanwhile, ICE detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate and pro-Palestinian activist, and his lawyers have filed a lawsuit against the government for his release.
Khalil’s lawyers said Khalil was transported from New York to Louisiana in handcuffs and shackles and was subjected to inhumane treatment while in custody.
Khalil’s arrest sparked protests in New York, where students expressed strong concerns about the arrests.
In this context, the Trump administration has presented strict conditions for the restoration of federal funding to Columbia University, including a mask ban and a formal definition of anti-semitism. The university has been ordered to implement within a week.
