ICE has repeatedly denied the release of a Russian Harvard scientist, claiming that she is a ‘danger to the community’ for making a customs error when she attempted to transport frog embryos to her lab.
Kseniia Petrova, 30, a researcher at Harvard Medical School, was detained by Customs and Border Protection for failing to declare the scientific material properly at Boston Logan International Airport while she was returning from a trip to France on February 16.
Despite multiple attempts to get her released on parole, Petrova’s attorney, Greg Romanovsky told the DailyMail.com she’s still being held in an ICE detention center in Louisiana, thousands of miles away from her Massachusetts lab.
‘Kseniia is holding up remarkably well, especially given the freezing temperatures and otherwise difficult conditions at the detention facility,’ Romanovsky told DailyMail.com.
He said that ICE has claimed Petrova is a ‘danger to the community’ and a ‘flight risk’, despite no sufficient evidence that the Harvard scientist poses a threat.
Petrova fled Russia in fear of prosecution since she actively opposed the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
She was arrested on March 2, 2022, for protesting in Moscow against Russia’s military incursion.
Petrova was legally in the US on a J-1 visa sponsored by Harvard so that she could work in the lab as a biomedical researcher.
When Customs discovered the frog embryos in her luggage, she was detained, questioned and had her visa revoked.
Petrova didn’t commit a crime by attempting to transport the embryos. It isn’t illegal to bring the scientific materials into the country, but they do have to be declared through a specific process.
After she was questioned by CBP, she was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but due to her fear of prosecution in her home country, she was sent to a detention center in the US instead.
Romanovsky argues that ICE overstepped its jurisdiction by revoking Petrova’s visa for an offense that typically only requires a fine of up to $500.
Petrova’s lawyer added that the fine is usually decreased to just $50 for first offenses.
The scientist’s detainment has sparked outrage across the country and caught the attention of 17 US senators, who signed a letter advocating for Petrova’s release.
The letter was addressed to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Acting Director of ICE Todd Lyons on March 31.
‘Absent evidence that Petrova is a flight risk or a danger to the community, we strongly urge you to reconsider ICE’s recent decision not to grant Petrova parole and exercise discretion within your authority to release her from detention while her asylum case is pending,’ the letter read.
‘Moreover, we are deeply concerned about the possibility that Petrova could face persecution if deported to Russia.
‘We urge the Administration to ensure full due process in her case and take all appropriate and necessary measures to ensure she is not deported to Russia.’
Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey were among those who signed the letter supporting Petrova’s release.
Markey also advocated for Petrova’s release on social media, writing on X, ‘I’m urging DHS to release Kseniia Petrova, a dedicated Harvard Medical School researcher, while she awaits her asylum hearings.
‘She faces prolonged detention after the Trump admin revoked her visa. Kseniia should be in Massachusetts – not 1,500 miles away in a cell in Louisiana.’
California Senator Adam Schiff, Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine also signed the letter.
On Wednesday, Romanovsky sent an update announcing that despite the support from multiple US Senators, Petrova was still detained by ICE.
‘Ms. Petrova, a talented Harvard Medical School researcher, inadvertently failed to declare a non-hazardous scientific sample she was bringing from a laboratory in France to continue her research at Harvard,’ Romanovsky said.
He added that Petrova’s offense was a ‘minor customs violation’ that should’ve resulted in a $50 fine, but instead, she was treated like a criminal.
‘Ms. Petrova is a Harvard Medical School researcher who has dedicated herself to advancing scientific knowledge, she has no criminal record whatsoever, is not a flight risk, and poses no threat to society,’ Romanovsky added.
‘Her detention is not only unnecessary, but unjust.’
Petrova recently spoke to the New York Times and revealed that she’s been in a dormitory with dozens of women.
She said the detention center is freezing, and the detainees are only given a thin blanket with which to sleep.
They sleep in rows of bunk beds and are only allowed one hour outside a day with sporadic meals.
‘I thought this was impossible, to be in this situation,’ Petrova said.
‘Even immigrants here, they have to have some rights. But it seems that nobody really cares about our rights here.’
‘This is not the kind of America I used to know.’
Petrova has spent her time reading books and studying cell division while she eagerly awaits the moment she can get back to the lab.
She said that being in the lab was her ‘paradise,’ adding: ‘I would very much like to stay in paradise.’
Petrova studied how genes are used in organisms and investigated the earliest stages of cell division in her lab at Harvard.
The team observed the embryos in frogs because they were smaller and easier to handle than rodents.
An aquarium was constructed where pregnant female frogs bobbed in water, referred to by the team as the ‘frog palace.’
She worked under Dr. Leon Peshkin, who had asked her to bring the frog embryos back from France.
They had previously shipped the embryos to the lab, but after shipments turned up damaged, Petrova’s vacation in France offered the perfect opportunity for her to bring them back herself.
Peshkin has rallied for Petrova after her detainment, pleading with his colleagues to write letters of support for her so she could get parole.
Peshkin told The New York Times that many colleagues refused to send a letter since they were in the country on temporary visas themselves and feared retribution.
‘Something has happened to the fabric of society,’ Peshkin said. ‘Something is happening.’
Petrova’s colleagues and friends have described her as a dedicated scientist and a brilliant researcher.
She has a unique background with skills in computer science and biology, with knowledge of embryology, bioinformation and data science.
Her friends and colleagues at Harvard have set up a fundraiser for Petrova, calling her a ‘caring and funny friend’ and ‘a genuinely beautiful person.’
They set up a GoFundMe to cover her legal fees, and daily expenses as Petrova may not be able to work if she is released. They have since raised more than $56,000 toward their initial $30,000 goal.
Since Petrova’s visa was revoked, her lawyer is attempting to get her released on humanitarian grounds while she awaits her immigration hearing on May 7.
If she wins her asylum case, she can stay in the US – however, if she loses, she will be deported back to Russia.
Petrova said that she feared political repression if she returned to Russia. Her home country has imposed severe punishment for those who speak out against the government.
American ballerina, Ksenia Karelina, was just returned to the US in a prisoner swap after spending 12 years imprisoned in a Russian jail for treason after she donated $51.80 to a charity supporting Ukraine.
DailyMail.com reached out to ICE and DHS for comment on Petrova’s case but didn’t immediately hear back.