The Trump administration denied parole to a Russian scientist working at Harvard University, saying she is a threat to US security.
Kseniia Petrova was stopped by Customs and Border Patrol on Feb. 16 at Boston’s Logan Airport after a trip to France because she had failed to declare frog embryos she brought into the country as part of her research.
Petrova told border officials she’ll be in danger if she’s deported back to Russia because of her criticism of the Kremlin. She was previously arrested in Russia in 2022 for protesting the war in Ukraine, according the Harvard Crimson.
Her detention comes amid a widespread crackdown on immigration which has seen the Trump administration revoking student visas for pro-Palestinian activists as well as targeting those seeking asylum.
After Petrova was arrested in Boston, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement revoked her visa and transferred her to an immigration jail in Louisiana, where she’s being held pending an appearance before an immigration judge on May 7.
The administration has also been reviewing funding for elite universities, including Harvard and Columbia, to combat what the White House has said is pervasive antisemitism on campus. Unlike other cases, there’s no indication that Petrova took part in any protests over the Israel-Hamas war.
In recent weeks, several students and former students have been detained by immigration agents. The list includes Mahmoud Khalil, who led anti-Israel protests at Columbia University, and Tufts University PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk, from Turkey, who was snatched off the street by plainclothes officers and has also been sent to a facility in Louisiana.
ICE notified Petrova that her request for parole before her May hearing was denied because she had not proven she isn’t a “danger to the community or US security,” according to a March 30 letter sent to her at the Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana. It said that ICE had taken into account “evidence of past criminal activity” and “activity contrary to US national security interests.” It also said she had not proven she isn’t a flight risk.
ICE didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Petrova’s lawyer, Gregory Romanovsky, said in a statement that the customs violation didn’t give border officials the authority to cancel her visa and detain her, calling it “grossly disproportionate.” The penalty for the customs violation is a monetary fine, he said. When she was detained, border officials asked her whether they should notify the Russian government. She responded that she was scared she could be killed if she went back to Russia because of her protests against the regime.
“The US government is now seeking to deport her to Russia, where she faces the threat of immediate arrest due to her prior political activism and outspoken opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” her lawyer said in a statement on March 28. He denied that Petrova was a flight risk or a threat to the community.
Seventeen US Senators, including Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey of Massachusetts, wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons on March 31 urging them to reconsider the decision to deny parole to Petrova. They called for her release from detention while her asylum case is pending.
“We are deeply concerned about the possibility that Petrova could face persecution if deported to Russia,” they wrote. “We urge the administration to ensure full due process in her case.”
Petrova’s lawyer has filed a lawsuit against the border authorities in federal court alleging her visa was improperly revoked and her detention was illegal. The targeting of the Harvard Medical School researcher comes as the Trump administration is scrutinizing billions of dollars in federal funds for Harvard as part of a review by a task force on antisemitism.
With assistance from Brooke Sutherland.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
