A Harvard scientist who has been held in US immigration detention for months was charged on Wednesday with smuggling frog embryos into the United States, and likely faces deportation. Kseniia Petrova, a Russian scientist and research associate working at Harvard University, was originally detained by immigration officials in February after attempting to enter the United States at Boston Logan international airport. The US district attorney’s Massachusetts office released a statement on 14 May, mentioning that smuggling charges can bring sentences of up to 20 years and fines up to $250,000. The press release alleges that Petrova’s text messages show she knew of the requirement to declare the embryos before entering the United States. Petrova has been spending the last three months in a Louisiana detention facility.
The Case Against Petrova
Petrova’s lawyer, Gregory Romanovsky, has called the case “meritless” and questioned the timing of her being transferred into criminal custody. He suggested that this happened after the judge in her lawsuit set a 28 May bail hearing to consider releasing her. Romanovsky stated, “The charge, filed three months after the alleged customs violation, is clearly intended to make Kseniia look like a criminal to justify their efforts to deport her.” Petrova detailed her research and detention experience in a New York Times op-ed this week. She explained that she left Russia after being arrested for protesting against the Ukraine war and found “a paradise for science” at the Harvard Medical School in 2023. Petrova, who also shared Facebook posts supporting the impeachment of Russian president Vladimir Putin, expressed fear of deportation to Russia due to her political stances.
Research and Impact
Petrova’s research focuses on aging and the chemical makeup of cells, which she believes could “pave the way for healthier life spans and treatments for diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer”. She mentioned in her op-ed that without her help, her colleagues’ research at Harvard has “ground to a halt”. Her supervisor at Harvard, Leon Peshkin, commended her research, stating that she was “spectacular: the best I’ve ever seen in 20 years at Harvard”. Petrova is among numerous non-citizen academics who have been arrested or threatened with deportation by the Trump administration. Her case stands out because, unlike many others, she has not been accused of publicly protesting against Israel’s killing of civilians in Gaza. Petrova also shared details about the fellow detainees she met in Louisiana, including a fiance of an American citizen waiting on an October court date and a woman denied political asylum and deported away from her daughter, who has legal status. She ended by expressing her desire to return to her lab work and complete the data set she was analyzing. She hopes that the judge rules in her favor on Wednesday so she can go back to her research.
In conclusion, the case of Kseniia Petrova raises questions about the treatment of non-citizen academics and the impact of political stances on immigration proceedings. The allegations against Petrova and her subsequent detention have sparked debate about the motives behind her arrest and the potential implications for her research and future in the United States. The timing of the smuggling charges and Petrova’s fear of deportation to Russia add layers of complexity to an already contentious situation. As Petrova awaits the judge’s decision, the scientific community and immigration advocates continue to monitor her case closely.
