A United States district court recently ruled that Customs and Border Protection at Boston Logan International Airport illegally revoked the visa of Russian-born Harvard University researcher Ksenia Petrova.Judge Christina Reiss said the agency exceeded its authority and said visa cancellations could not be based on suspected trafficking of biological samples.“The undisputed facts show that Ms. Petrova’s visa was wrongfully revoked because of the frog embryo samples and for no other reason,” Rice wrote. Associated Press Reports
What happened at the airport?
Petrova was stopped in February last year on her way back from France, where she collected samples of frog embryos for research.Customs and Border Protection officers at the airport questioned him about the samples. After questioning, the officers canceled his visa.Petrova later said she did not realize the samples needed to be declared and denied trying to bring them into the country illegally.
What did the court say?
The court found that Customs and Border Protection has limited authority in visa matters and cannot revoke a visa based on a customs-related issue.The judge ruled that the agency exceeded its jurisdiction and used the customs issue as grounds for canceling visas.“Federal respondents cannot justify the revocation of an illegal visa for a customs violation,” Rice wrote. Crimson.The judge also said authorities did not allow Petrova to return to France and instead pursued deportation.
Detention and legal action
After the visa was revoked, Petrova was detained and later transferred to a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Louisiana.He challenged the decision through legal petitions. Federal prosecutors later charged him with trafficking and making false statements. A grand jury indicted him on one count of trafficking and two counts of making false statements.She remained in custody until mid-June, when a judge ordered her release.In a separate proceeding, she was allowed to work and has since returned to her research at Harvard, her lawyer, Gregory Romanowski, said.“This order is an important step toward correcting what should never have happened in the first place,” Romanofsky said in a statement. A.P
Government response
A spokesman for the US Department of Homeland Security said Petrova was “lawfully detained after lying to federal officials about bringing the substance into the country.”The department said that the administration Donald Trump He was determined to enforce immigration laws.The ruling states that Customs and Border Protection cannot revoke visas on grounds beyond its jurisdiction and such actions must adhere to statutory limitations.Petrova’s case is currently in court.
