Harvard Scientist Detained by ICE After Paris Trip Sparking Outrage

A Harvard Medical School scientist seeking refuge from Putin’s regime is now facing possible deportation—this time by the U.S. government.

Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born geneticist who fled her home country for opposing the war in Ukraine, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Boston Logan Airport on February 16. Her crime? Allegedly failing to properly declare frog embryos she brought back from a research trip in France.

Now she sits in a Louisiana ICE detention center, awaiting an asylum hearing scheduled for May 7.

“She was terrified,” said Cora Anderson, a close colleague and friend who launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover Petrova’s legal expenses. “Her visa was suddenly revoked. She told authorities she feared going back to Russia. That should’ve ended with a protection order—not a jail cell.”

An Anti-War Scientist Trapped Between Two Systems

Petrova’s story isn’t just about a customs form. It’s about a woman who risked her freedom—and potentially her life—to speak out against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. According to Harvard researcher Leon Peshkin, Petrova had already been arrested in Russia for calling for Putin’s impeachment. She escaped first to Georgia, and later came to the U.S. on a research visa.

“She’s a brilliant scientist. I’ve worked with her directly,” said Peshkin. “This is a clerical error that’s been blown into a political tragedy.”

Petrova allegedly failed to declare frog embryo samples used in genetics research—a mistake that typically carries a fine of up to $500. But instead, she was denied re-entry and placed in ICE custody. Federal officials have not publicly commented on her case.

Her attorney, Gregory Romanovsky, says the punishment is not only disproportionate—it could be deadly.

“She cannot return to Russia without being jailed or harmed,” Romanovsky told The Harvard Crimson. “It’s going to be suicide for her to go back.”

From Research Labs to ICE Detention

After being detained in Boston, Petrova was first held in Vermont before being transferred to Louisiana, where she’s now imprisoned alongside over 80 other women in a privately contracted jail. Colleagues and immigration advocates have decried the move, describing her treatment as unnecessarily harsh and politically motivated.

“She’s sitting in jail because she made a mistake at customs and criticized Putin,” said Anderson. “Is that really who we are?”

Petrova’s case highlights the growing tension between immigration policy and academic freedom—particularly under the lasting legacy of Trump-era crackdowns.

Trump’s Legacy Lingers Over Biden’s Watch

Though President Biden promised a more humane immigration system, some advocates say the Petrova case reflects a disturbing continuity from Trump’s aggressive deportation policies.

Under Trump, ICE ramped up detentions and revoked visas for international scholars with little transparency. Petrova is not the only one caught in the dragnet. Just this week, Alireza Doroudi, an Iranian doctoral student at the University of Alabama, was detained by immigration officials. According to his lawyer, David Rozas, Doroudi was accused of posing “significant national security concerns,” despite having no criminal record.

“These are scholars, not spies,” Rozas said. “We’re gutting our scientific and academic communities in the name of national security.”

A Dangerous Precedent

Independent Russian news outlet Proekt reports that more than 13,000 Russian citizens have been prosecuted for opposing the war in Ukraine—over 4,500 of them active-duty military personnel. Petrova, now entangled in the U.S. immigration system, may soon join those ranks if deported.

Her colleagues and supporters are pleading for action before it’s too late.

“This country used to stand for freedom of speech and human rights,” Anderson said. “If we let Kseniia be deported, we’re turning our back on both.”

As her court date nears, the question remains: Will America offer refuge to a scientist who stood against tyranny—or send her back into its grip?