Harvard researcher from Russia detained by ICE in Louisiana after visa revocation

Harvard Medical School researcher Kseniia Petrova is currently detained at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Louisiana after her research visa was revoked last month. The visa revocation occurred after Petrova unintentionally failed to properly declare frog embryos she brought into the country. Petrova was returning to the US from France when US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officials stopped her at Boston Logan International Airport on February 16. Petrova, a Russian national, has since filed two petitions through her attorney, Gregory Romanovsky, seeking her release from detention. Her legal team argues that her customs violation, which typically results in a $500 fine and the seizure of the object, should not have led to the revocation of her visa. They also contend that CBP’s decision to follow the expedited removal process was unlawful, as Petrova had not violated the terms of her visa. After being detained, Petrova was transferred between ICE facilities in Vermont and Louisiana, where she is currently being held. If deported, Petrova would return to France instead of Russia, as she holds a Schengen visa allowing her to stay in the European Union. Petrova's detention has drawn attention due to its timing, as the Trump administration has increasingly cracked down on international students associated with pro-Palestinian protests. On February 23, her lawyer filed a habeas corpus petition, challenging the expedited removal order, arguing that the process was applied in error. Additionally, an asylum petition was filed, citing Petrova's past political activism and the potential for persecution if she returns to Russia, particularly for her opposition to President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine. Petrova's legal team is also pursuing her release on parole, with more than two dozen Harvard affiliates providing letters of support, vouching for her reliability and arguing she poses no danger. However, the petition for parole was initially declined by ICE, a decision that Romanovsky plans to challenge. Petrova is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on May 7, 2025. Her lawyer anticipates that the legal process may take several more months to conclude.

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