Trump bans Harvard University from recognizing new international students
A new two-page order from President Donald Trump prohibits Harvard from allowing new international students.
A federal judge ordered the release of Xenia Petrova, a Russian-born Harvard University scientist who said another federal judge had previously been unfairly detained by customs officials.
At a June 12 hearing in Boston, Judge Judith Daine ordered the pre-trial release of the 30-year-old researcher while facing a felony smuggling charge that claimed to have illegally brought non-life lab samples in February. She pleads not guilty and her lawyers are strongly disputing the charges.
Petrova, who was in custody for nearly four months, spoke briefly with his lawyer outside of a Massachusetts courthouse. She smiled and no longer wore a prison uniform, so she thanked her friends and colleagues for months of support.
“The legal process may be slow, but it’s working,” her lawyer, Gregory Romanowsky, told reporters.
The U.S. Lawyer’s Office in Massachusetts confirmed that the court ordered Petrova’s release. There were no further comments in the office.
A legal story for several months
Petrova works in the Harvard Medical University lab, which studies aging and cancer.
She has been in custody since February after bringing a sample of a frog embryo from Paris. Customs officials at Logan International Airport in Boston detained Petrova on February 16th and subsequently revoked his J-1 visa.
She was detained in Louisiana immigration detention for three months before being charged with felony smuggling by federal prosecutors after attempting to bring samples into the country. Authorities then placed her in custody of the US Marshall Services.
She sued the Trump administration for being held for almost four months.
Before being charged with the crime, Justice Department lawyers tried to dismiss the case to expel her to Russia. She said she faced persecution in Russia for protesting the war in Ukraine. She agreed to return to France.
On May 28th, Vermont’s Federal District Judge Christina Reese discovered that Petrova’s detention was illegal. Reiss granted release from immigration and customs enforcement custody, but she maintained former custody for criminal charges.
Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts have sealed off felony smuggling charges against Petrova, which is fined up to 20 years or up to $250,000.
Prosecutors said Petrova had “illegally” imported specimens “impossibly and intentionally.” The government wrote a text message saying that they were warned they needed permission to bring the samples, telling customs officials they were not particularly sure about the embryo.
Petrova said she wouldn’t lie to officials. Judge Reiss agreed that the sample was non-difficult, non-living and did not present any threat.
The immigration case is ongoing, Romanovsky said.
Petrova is one of several international students and researchers caught up in the Trump administration’s fundamental immigration and visa crackdown.
Petrova has not decided whether she will remain in the United States, Romanovsky said. She has offers from other countries.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Eduardo Quebus is based in New York City. Contact him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or by signalling emcuevas.01.