A Harvard scientist, Kseniia Petrova, faces deportation after being charged with smuggling frog embryos into the US. Petrova, a Russian research associate at Harvard University, was detained in February at Boston Logan international airport. The US district attorney’s office in Massachusetts stated that smuggling charges could lead to up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $250,000. Petrova’s lawyer criticized the timing of the criminal charges, suggesting they were meant to justify deportation efforts rather than address the alleged customs violation.

In an op-ed for the New York Times, Petrova shared her journey from Russia to Harvard, where she conducts research on aging and cell chemistry, aiming to improve treatments for diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer. Her supervisor at Harvard praised her work, calling her “spectacular.” Petrova expressed fear of deportation to Russia due to her political views, including support for the impeachment of Vladimir Putin.

Petrova highlighted the impact of her detention on her research and colleagues at Harvard, emphasizing the importance of her work for advancing scientific knowledge. Her case is part of a broader trend where non-citizen academics have faced deportation threats under the Trump administration. Petrova’s op-ed also shed light on the stories of fellow detainees she met in Louisiana, underscoring the human impact of immigration policies. She hopes for release to continue her research and contribute to ongoing projects in her lab.