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In an unfolding crackdown on immigration and activism at Columbia University, federal agents have made another arrest. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reports that Leqaa Korda, a Palestinian student from the West Bank, was detained for allegedly overstaying her visa. While her visa expired on January 26, 2022, her apprehension also stems from her involvement in previous campus protests, as detailed in a DHS statement.
Meanwhile, another student, Ranjani Srinivasan from India, has opted for unplanned departure. Following the revocation of her visa linked to support for "Hamas," she used the recently unveiled CBP Home app to self-deport, a process documented by DHS video footage. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem underscored the gravity of these matters, stating to ABC 7 New York, "It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live and study in the United States of America. When you advocate for violence and terrorism that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country. I am glad to see one of the Columbia University terrorist sympathizers use the CBP Home app to self-deport."
The aftermath of the campus building occupation by pro-Palestinian protesters last spring has led Columbia University to expel and suspend some students, including revoking degrees of some graduates, although numbers have not been provided. According to NBC New York, the campus activist community is still managing the repercussions of these arrests, with Mahmoud Khalil's detention by federal immigration authorities, notably sparking intensified protests.
President Trump has labeled the arrests as the beginning of a wider effort to deport students participating in "pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity." Despite Khalil's arrest, he faces no criminal charges. His lawyers and civil rights advocates argue that the government is exerting its immigration authority with unconstitutional motives that stifle free expression, as per NBC New York.
