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| Russian scientist held in Ice jail charged with smuggling frog embryos into US | Russian scientist held in Ice jail charged with smuggling frog embryos into US |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| Kseniia Petrova, Harvard researcher arrested in February, faces deportation as lawyer calls case ‘meritless’ | Kseniia Petrova, Harvard researcher arrested in February, faces deportation as lawyer calls case ‘meritless’ |
| 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. | 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. | 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. |
| In a 14 May press release, the US district attorney’s Massachusetts office said smuggling charges can bring sentences of up to 20 years and fines up to $250,000. The press releases alleges that Petrova’s text messages show she knew of the requirement to declare the embryos before entering the United States. Petrova has spent the last three months in a Louisiana detention facility. | In a 14 May press release, the US district attorney’s Massachusetts office said smuggling charges can bring sentences of up to 20 years and fines up to $250,000. The press releases alleges that Petrova’s text messages show she knew of the requirement to declare the embryos before entering the United States. Petrova has spent the last three months in a Louisiana detention facility. |
| Petrova’s lawyer, Gregory Romanovsky, called the case “meritless” and questioned the timing of her being transferred into criminal custody, saying it happened after the judge in her lawsuit set a 28 May bail hearing to consider releasing her. | Petrova’s lawyer, Gregory Romanovsky, called the case “meritless” and questioned the timing of her being transferred into criminal custody, saying it happened after the judge in her lawsuit set a 28 May bail hearing to consider releasing her. |
| “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,” he said in a statement. | “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,” he said in a statement. |
| Petrova detailed her research and detention experience in a New York Times op-ed this week. Petrova said 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 the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, said that she fears deportation to Russia due to her political stances. | |
| Petrova’s research is focused on ageing and the chemical makeup of cells, which she says could “pave the way for healthier life spans and treatments for diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer”. | |
| Petrova wrote that, without her help, her colleagues’ research at Harvard has “ground to a halt”. | Petrova wrote that, without her help, her colleagues’ research at Harvard has “ground to a halt”. |
| Petrova’s supervisor at Harvard, Leon Peshkin, has praised her research, saying at the time her arrest was made public that she was “spectacular: the best I’ve ever seen in 20 years at Harvard”. | Petrova’s supervisor at Harvard, Leon Peshkin, has praised her research, saying at the time her arrest was made public 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 also stands out because she, unlike many others, has not been accused of publicly protesting against Israel’s killing of civilians in Gaza. | Petrova is among numerous non-citizen academics who have been arrested or threatened with deportation by the Trump administration. Her case also stands out because she, unlike many others, has not been accused of publicly protesting against Israel’s killing of civilians in Gaza. |
| Petrova’s op-ed also detailed the fellow detainees she met in Louisiana - 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 ends by talking about her lab work. | |
| “I hope that the judge rules [on] Wednesday that I can be released, so I can return to my lab. There is a data set that I’m halfway finished analyzing. I want to go home and finish it,” Petrova said. | “I hope that the judge rules [on] Wednesday that I can be released, so I can return to my lab. There is a data set that I’m halfway finished analyzing. I want to go home and finish it,” Petrova said. |
| Reuters contributed reporting | Reuters contributed reporting |
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