An international student at Columbia University, who has deported herself to Canada, broke her silence about the government's claims that she supported Hamas.
Ranjani Srinivasan, 37, from India, entered the United States on an F-1 student visa as a PhD student in City Planning at Columbia University, but last week the student fled to Canada after having withdrew her visa.
The Fulbright-scholar was accused by the Department of Homeland Security of Support Hamas, a terrorist group, during a Pro-Palestinian protest led by students at Ritzy New York City University.
Srinivasan said, however, that this is not the truth and that she never participated in the protest.
“I was back home when I saw barricades and police,” she told CBS mornings.
The doctoral student claimed that she was on a picnic from the department when other Columbia students started protesting elsewhere on campus and did not know it happened until she was back to her dormitory.
Srinivasan was arrested for hindering the sidewalk and failure to spread. The costs were withdrawn later.
The Department of Homeland Security later said that she never included the charges in her application to extend her visa, that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs withdrew on 5 March.
Ranjani Srinivasan, 37, from India, entered the United States on an F-1 student visa as a PhD student in City Planning at Columbia University, but last week the student fled to Canada after she had withdrew her visa
The Fulbright-scholar was accused by the Department of Homeland Security of Support Hamas, a terrorist group, during a Pro-Palestinian protest led by students at Ritzy New York City University. Srinivasan, however, said that this is not the truth
“I never wanted to hide anything,” she told CBS mornings. 'I am fully in accordance with my visa. I would like a chance to erase my name.
“If I made a mistake, I would like to clarify that with the state.”
She said she fled the country after Ice knocked on her door while she was in a zoom meeting with a consultant at the International Students Advice Office, who told her that she would be safe.
After her visa was withdrawn, she feared that she would be held indefinitely.
The Department of Homeland Security has obtained video images from Srinivasan using the BP Home app to deport itself on 11 March.
It also accused her of attending a handful of protests and finding and sharing messages with regard to Palestine and Gaza on social media, according to CBS.
DHS secretary Kristi said that she was “happy to see that one of the terrorist sympathizers of Columbia University are using the CBP Home app to deport themselves.”
“It is a privilege to get a visa to live and study in the United States of America,” she said.
“I was back home when I saw barricades and police,” she said. The doctoral student claimed that she was on a picnic from the department when other Columbia students started protesting elsewhere on campus and did not know it happened until she was back to her dormitory
President Donald Trump has reduced $ 400 million in federal financing for Columbia University on the treatment of anti-Israel campus protests last year. He threatens to get all federal financing from the Ivy League school
CBP Home is a revised mobile phone -app once used to have migrants requested for asylum, which changes a system that makes people live illegally in the US to say they want to leave the country voluntarily.
The renewed app, announced on Monday and now that CBP Home is mentioned, is part of the administration campaign to encourage 'self -declaration,' promoted as an easy and cost -effective way to push along the pressure of President Donald Trump to discard millions of immigrants without legal status.
“The app offers illegal aliens in the United States with a simple way to explain their intention to leave voluntarily, and offers them the opportunity to leave before they have strict consequences,” said Pete Flores, the acting Commissioner for US Customs and Border Protection, in a statement.
President Donald Trump has reduced $ 400 million in federal financing for Columbia University on the treatment of anti-Israel campus protests last year.
The president launched the dramatic movement “because of the constant inactivity of the school in the light of persistent intimidation of Jewish students,” said his administration.
It only represents a first round of canceled funds and extra cuts are expected.
The president threatens to draw all federal financing of the Ivy League school, unless certain conditions are met. The school has until Wednesday to respond.
