Russian-born Harvard scientist Kseniia Petrova, who has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since February 16, has been accused of “knowingly” smuggling samples into the US, though it's unclear if her deportation case could proceed.
Split Narrative: Petrova’s attorney, Gregory Romanovsky, told Fox News (Right bias) that Petrova was transporting frog embryos for a professor at a French lab that Harvard was working with and that she was unaware she needed to claim them at customs. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said messages on her phone revealed, “She knowingly broke the law and took deliberate steps to evade it.”
Judge’s Opinion: According to Romanovsky, an immigration judge in Louisiana said ICE’s Notice to Appear did not meet legal standards and gave ICE one week to file additional documents in support of deporting Petrova. A hearing has been scheduled for July 22 to decide if the case should proceed.
For Context: Petrova’s visa was canceled when she was detained in May. Romanovsky said they’re now seeking asylum for Petrova, who could be in danger should she have to return to Russia due to her previous protesting of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
How The Media Covered It: Fox News elevated the DHS’ opinion that Petrova “knowingly” committed a crime in its headline. NBC News (Lean Left) focused on the pushback from the immigration judge and Petrova’s merits as a scientist. NBC ran a separate story before the hearing with the immigration judge on Tuesday with the headline, “New images could change cancer diagnostics, but ICE detained the Harvard scientist who analyzes them.”
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Judge questions deportation case of Russian-born Harvard scientist detained by ICE
An immigration judge has found the U.S. government’s initial deportation case against Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born Harvard scientist held in ICE detention, to be legally deficient, her attorney said, raising questions about whether the case can move forward.
The preliminary immigration hearing, held in Jena, Louisiana, included three trial attorneys and a deputy chief counsel from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Petrova’s attorney Greg Romanovsky described their presence as unusual for an early-stage proceeding.
Russian Harvard scientist Kseniia Petrova 'knowingly' smuggled illicit items to US: feds
Federal authorities said Harvard's Kseniia Petrova "knowingly broke the law" amid their ongoing push to deport the Russian scientist. Petrova, a bioinformatician at the Kirschner Lab at Harvard Medical School, was detained at on Feb. 16 as she returned from a trip to Paris. Her attorney, Gregory Romanovsky, told Fox News that Petrova was bringing back frog embryos at the request of a professor at a French lab with which the Ivy League university was collaborating. According to Romanovsky, the sample was picked up in Paris and was supposed to...