A government lawyer told a federal judge on Wednesday that the Trump administration intends to deport Kseniia Petrova, a Harvard Medical School researcher, to Russia, the country she fled in 2022 after being arrested for protesting the war in Ukraine.
The announcement, made during a hearing in Vermont, has sparked widespread concern among the academic community and human rights advocates.
Petrova, 30, was detained by Customs and Border Protection officials at Boston Logan Airport in February after failing to declare frog embryos she was bringing into the United States from France for her research.
She has since been held in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Louisiana, and her J-1 scholar visa was revoked following her arrest.
Earlier this week, the government filed criminal smuggling charges against Petrova in federal court in Massachusetts, intensifying the legal proceedings against her.
The Justice Department alleged she attempted to unlawfully import “noninfectious and non-toxic frog embryos” for scientific purposes, a charge her attorney describes as a minor customs violation typically not resulting in detention or deportation.
Petrova’s legal team and supporters argue that deporting her to Russia would put her life at risk. She fled Russia in 2022 after being arrested for participating in anti-war demonstrations, and her attorney, Gregory Romanovsky, has stated that returning would be “suicide” for her.
In court filings, Petrova has expressed a “well-founded fear of future persecution” if forced to return.
During the hearing, U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss questioned the government’s rationale for revoking Petrova’s visa and expressed scepticism about the authority of CBP officials to make such a decision.
The judge scheduled a bail hearing for May 28, which could determine whether Petrova remains in custody or is released pending further proceedings.
Petrova’s case has drawn condemnation from 17 U.S. senators, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea J. Campbell, and prominent members of the scientific community. Campbell filed an amicus brief calling for Petrova’s immediate release, and dozens of Harvard students and faculty attended the Vermont hearing in support.
