A Russian-born Harvard University researcher already facing deportation to Russia has now been charged with attempting to smuggle frog embryos into the United States.
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged 30-year-old Kseniia Petrova with one count of smuggling goods into the country. Authorities say she was taken into custody again on Wednesday following the new charge.
Petrova has been detained at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Louisiana since her February arrest. She is awaiting a judge’s decision on her deportation, which she is fighting due to fears of political persecution or imprisonment if returned to Russia.
In an interview last month with the Associated Press, Petrova said she had no intention of hiding the materials and simply did not realize they needed to be declared. She said CBP officers questioned her about the contents of her luggage, after which her visa was canceled and she was taken into federal custody.
“The truth is on my side,” Petrova said during a video call from the ICE detention center in Monroe, Louisiana.
Prosecutors allege that CBP agents were alerted by a detection dog to Petrova’s duffle bag. Upon inspection, agents found the frog embryos stored in a foam box. Petrova initially denied possessing any biological materials but later admitted to carrying the samples.
Her mentor at Harvard, biologist Leon Peshkin, defended her actions, saying the materials were not hazardous and the situation had been blown out of proportion.
“I don’t think she did anything wrong,” Peshkin told the Associated Press.
Harvard University, in a brief statement, said it is continuing to monitor the situation.
She has said she fears returning due to her political views and anti-war stance.
Her case has drawn attention within the scientific community, raising concerns about how such prosecutions might affect the recruitment and retention of international researchers at U.S. institutions.
“In reality, they bring tremendous value. They are highly trained experts who strengthen the American scientific community.”