A graduate student who fled the United States over fears she would be detained amid a crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters denies allegations by U.S. authorities that she has been involved in activities promoting Hamas.
“I’m not a ‘terrorist sympathizer,'” said Ranjani Srinivasan, referring to terminology the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its secretary have publicly labelled her with. “So, I just find it kind of absurd.”
Srinivasan, who is currently in Canada, spoke to CBC News about her predicament. She fears for her safety and CBC News agreed not to reveal her location.
She specifically denies participating in a high-profile protest at Columbia University, where students took over a building and police officers subsequently stormed it to end the occupation last spring.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has been taking steps to single out pro-Palestinian protesters it holds culpable for involvement in a slew of protests on U.S. college campuses.
In January, Trump pledged to deport some non-citizen college students who participated in such protests.
“I was extremely afraid of being detained,” said Srinivasan, who pointed to the detention of some fellow Columbia University students as a reason for her concerns about her safety.
Sudden events
Until recently, Srinivasan had been a doctoral student in urban planning at New York City’s Columbia University.
Between pursuing her studies and grading students’ papers, she “rarely left the office,” Srinivasan says.
Then she learned her student visa was being revoked, and that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had been knocking on her door seeking to detain her.
She decided to leave the country, via a Canada-bound flight from New York’s LaGuardia airport.
“It feels a bit surreal,” says Srinivasan, who is still trying to make sense of the events that have unfolded.