BOSTON — A Russian scientist working at Harvard Medical School has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, her lawyer told Boston 25 News Friday.
Kseniia Petrova was stopped at Logan Airport on February 16 by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer because she did not have the proper paperwork for a non-hazardous scientific sample she was bringing back from France, her lawyer Greg Romanovsky told Boston 25.
Instead of just seizing the item and issuing the normal fine, Petrova’s visa was canceled and she was taken to an ICE detention facility in Louisiana, 1,500 miles away from the Boston area.
The Department of Homeland Security claims that Petrova had petri dishes, containers of unknown substances, and vials of embryonic frog cells without obtaining the proper permits. Messages on her phone also proved that she was purposely planning on smuggling the items into the country, according to a DHS spokesperson.
“She knowingly broke the law and took deliberate steps to evade it,” the DHA said.
Petrova had been conducting vital biomedical research at Harvard since May 2023 under her J-1 visa status, according to her lawyer.
“We have challenged CBP’s actions in federal court because the agency clearly overstepped its authority. Ms. Petrova’s immigration paperwork was in order, and the customs violation did not render her inadmissible to the U.S. Rather than imposing the appropriate monetary penalties for the customs violation, CBP improperly invoked their extensive immigration authority to impose a punishment grossly disproportionate to the situation. This overreach reflects broader concerns about the treatment of international scholars by U.S. immigration authorities,” Romanovsky detailed.
Romanovsky also claims that government officials are attempting to export her to Russia, putting her in danger due to her political activism and outspoken opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Ms. Petrova’s 1.5-month-long detention has caused significant disruption to both her professional and personal life. As a dedicated and highly respected researcher, her work is critical to scientific progress. We strongly urge ICE to release Ms. Petrova while her legal proceedings are ongoing. ICE is required to detain individuals awaiting their immigration court hearings only if they are a flight risk or a danger to the community. Ms. Petrova is neither a flight risk nor a threat to the community and her continued detention serves no purpose and wastes limited government resources,” said Romanovsky.
Harvard said they are aware of Petrova’s detention and that they are monitoring the situation.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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