17 Senators Call for Release of HMS Researcher Kseniia Petrova

A group of 17 U.S. senators demanded the release of Harvard Medical School researcher Kseniia Petrova, who was detained in Boston Logan Airport after a personal trip to France in February, in a Monday letter.

Petrova allegedly failed to declare frog embryos she brought into the country and was detained by Customs and Border Police. Her J-1 scholar visa was revoked by officials for failure to declare an object at customs — a violation which can result in an up to $500 fine and the object’s seizure. But Petrova’s lawyer has stated that this does not grant CBP the authority to cancel her visa.

The letter — addressed to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd M. Lyons — included signatures from Massachusetts senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.

“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 and take all appropriate and necessary measures to ensure she is not deported to Russia.”

Petrova was arrested in Russia in 2022 after her involvement in protests against the country’s war in Ukraine, including calling for the impeachment of President Vladimir Putin on her Facebook account.

The senators wrote that Petrova said she was fearful of being forced to return to Russia when speaking to CBP officers.

“I am scared to go back to Russia,” she said, according to the letter. “I am afraid the Russian Federation will kill me for protesting against them.”

Petrova holds a Schengen visa, which would allow her to stay in European Union countries for at least 90 days if she is forced to leave the United States.

At the time of her arrest on Feb. 16, Petrova was told that she could either return to France and reapply for a visa or face deportation to Russia, with a five-year ban on returning to the U.S.

Petrova chose to return to France, but CBP officers detained her after she voiced her fear of political persecution in Russia. She is currently being held in an ICE facility in Louisiana.

“Petrova is reportedly being held with at least 70 other detainees in the same cell,” the senators wrote in the letter.

Senators demanded that Petrova be released ahead of her May 7 preliminary hearing, “absent evidence that Petrova is a flight risk or a danger to the community.”

“We strongly urge you to reconsider ICE’s recent decision not to grant Petrova parole and exercise discretion within your authority to release her from detention while her asylum case is pending,” they wrote.

The senators also noted that Petrova is facing extended detention, as she has already been housed in the facility for more than a month. They wrote that although the hearing is set for early May, “her case could continue for months after that.”

The letter comes as international students across the country are being detained by ICE for their support of pro-Palestine causes on campus. At the University of Alabama, Alireza Doroudi, a doctoral student from Iran, was detained on Tuesday at 5 a.m. in his home.

And last week, Tufts PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk — an international student from Turkey — was detained by ICE. Her detention sparked outrage from Massachusetts lawmakers who are condemning her arrest.

Two weeks prior, Columbia student protester Mahmoud Khalil — a green card holder — was taken into custody by federal agents.

—Staff writer Megan L. Blonigen can be reached at megan.blonigen@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @MeganBlonigen.

—Staff writer Frances Y. Yong can be reached at frances.yong@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @frances_yong_.