U.S. immigration authorities have detained and revoked the visa of Ksenia Petrova, a Russian scientist conducting genetic research at Harvard Medical School, after she failed to properly declare frog embryos at customs, her colleagues and friends said this week.
Petrova, an outspoken critic of the war in Ukraine, was stopped at Boston Logan International Airport on Feb. 16 upon returning from a personal trip to France. According to The Harvard Crimson, U.S. officials revoked her research visa over a customs paperwork error involving biological samples.
Her lawyer, Gregory Romanovsky, told the student newspaper that such infractions typically result in a fine of up to $500 and confiscation of the undeclared items, not visa cancellation. He also stated that Petrova was detained after expressing fear of political persecution if forced to return to Russia.
Leon Peshkin, Petrova’s supervisor at Harvard Medical School, admitted to The Guardian that he had mistakenly asked her to bring the frog embryos from French colleagues and attributed the incident to a paperwork error.
Petrova has a history of opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She was reportedly arrested in 2022 for protesting the war, and her Facebook profile includes anti-war posts and a Change.org petition calling for President Vladimir Putin’s impeachment.
She relocated to Boston in the spring of 2023 from Georgia, where she had been living after leaving Russia. Following her detention, she was transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Vermont before being moved to another facility in Louisiana, where she remains with at least 70 other detainees awaiting deportation.
Her friend Cora Anderson, who shared details of Petrova’s case on Facebook, said she is being considered for a new work visa and job offer, but the process could take months. Anderson has also launched a GoFundMe campaign to support Petrova’s legal and living expenses, raising nearly $40,000 since Wednesday.
Romanovsky has filed multiple petitions, including an asylum application and a legal challenge to the visa revocation. A request for Petrova’s release on parole was denied on March 14.
Her pre-trial hearing is set for May 7, and her lawyer anticipates a lengthy legal process. If deported, she will be sent to France, where she holds a Schengen visa permitting a three-month stay in EU countries.
“She cannot return to Russia without being jailed or harmed,” Romanovsky told The Harvard Crimson. “Going back would be a death sentence.”
