On Wednesday, a federal judge in Vermont ruled in favor of a Russian Harvard scientist, Kseniia Petrova, who was detained by ICE and accused of smuggling goods into the U.S. The ruling ensures that if she is granted bail and released at her criminal hearing next week, ICE cannot detain her again. Petrova, 31, was first detained by ICE before being transferred to criminal custody earlier this month. The U.S. government is seeking to deport her back to Russia, following her detention at Boston’s Logan Airport in February.
Authorities charged Petrova with smuggling biological material after TSA found clawed frog embryos and embryonic samples in her luggage. She has worked as a researcher at Harvard Medical School for more than two years, and colleagues at the school testified in her defense at Wednesday’s hearing. The judge determined she is not a flight risk and poses no danger to the community. Her criminal bail hearing is set to take place next week in Massachusetts.
The judge also noted that Petrova’s work at Harvard has benefited the U.S. as her team is focused on cancer research. The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that Petrova allegedly denied having the biological material at first but later admitted to carrying it. Prosecutors argue that her text messages show she was aware that carrying the clawed frog embryos and embryonic samples would require a permit. In one text message exchange cited by the office, Petrova was asked if she had a plan to get the biological material into the U.S., and she allegedly responded by saying,