Scientific research at Harvard University.
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Fear propagates among some academics and scientists born abroad working in the United States after the Russian scientist Kseniia Petrova, a researcher at the Harvard Medical School, was detained earlier this year on his return from France and had his visa canceled.
Leon Peshkin, researcher at Harvard who worked in close collaboration with Petrova, said Morning edition That some scientists he knows now fear that their immigration status can be threatened when they travel for work.
“There are a lot of people on the visas here, just depressed,” said Peshkin. “The people who came here to contribute now plan to leave, to look for jobs elsewhere. I think that will have a significant negative impact when people are intimidated, frightened and are no longer interested in coming.”
Petrova, 30, was detained in February by customs and border protection agents at Logan de Boston airport. The agents found unconvolved frog embryos in its suitcase, GBH reports. Petrova’s lawyer, Gregory Romanovsky, told NBC News that it did not disclose the biological samples which were to be used in the research in progress and did not know how to bring them to the country.
Petrova was detained in a Vermont detention center, then transferred to Louisiana, where several international students The Trump administration tries to deport was also sent. Romanovsky filed a complaint with the American District Court of Vermont, arguing that a question of declaration does not justify detention and that the government has not followed the standard protocol.
Earlier this week, an immigration judge in Louisiana noted that the case of the federal government was legally insufficient, during a preliminary hearing. The judge judged that the notice of appearance, the document which initiates the expulsion procedure, did not comply with the legal standards, NBC news reports. The judge gave immigration and customs a week to submit more solid evidence.
Peshkin said Morning edition That Petrova is afraid of returning to Russia, because she publicly opposed the invasion of Ukraine by his country.
CBP has referred to NPR to A post on x de Tricia McLaughlin, deputy secretary of the Department of Fatherland and Public Affairs Security, when he was contacted to comment. McLaughlin wrote that Petrova “lied to federal officers on the transport of substances in the country”. She added that the messages found on her phone revealed that she had planned to pass the materials through customs without declaring them. “”
Peshkin spoke with A Martinez de NPR on the wider cooling effect than his detention has on international researchers, many who wonder if the United States is always a safe place for their careers.
This interview has been modified for duration and clarity.
Strengths of the interview
A Martinez: Did she have a passion for what she was doing?
Leon Peshkin: Yes, she does. When we connected, she told me that she could not see a path to go in Russia by continuing to do science. And she specifically dreamed of doing the kind of science, which I planned to do, looking at a biological system at the unique level. So she says that until she was arrested, she was in paradise and she wants to return to this paradise.
Martinez: So what is your understanding of the reason for which it was detained?
Peshkin: I think the image is very clear. There was a slight misunderstanding on the border of what it was supposed to do with some of the samples it brought. This sparked his canceled visa. She found herself in the country without a valid visa because of an error of border officers and was about to be sent from the country. They asked him, “Should we call the Russian Embassy?” She is a citizen of Russia. But she said “Oh, my God, no, please don’t do it. I’m afraid of returning to Russia.” And it sparked its asylum case.
Martinez: She protested against the war in Ukraine and it is an offense punishable in Russia. So I wonder at this stage, how much does she think as a possibility?
Peshkin: All I know is that she is extremely afraid of this possibility. She expects to be persecuted if she returns to Russia.
Martinez: Do you know how other country researchers on Scholar visas react to this ??
Peshkin: Yes, there are a lot of people on the visas here simply depressed. First of all, it is extremely important for a scientist to be able to travel freely. Now they are worried each time they cross the border. It is important to travel for conferences, see colleagues, learn and disseminate science. So many people could not normally do the work. But more than that, the people who came here to contribute now plan to leave, to look for jobs elsewhere. So I think it will have a significant negative impact when people are intimidated, frightened and are no longer interested in coming.
Martinez: To what extent are you sure it will be resolved in a way where Kseniia can stay in the United States?
Peshkin: No, I’m sorry to say, but I’m not very much hopeful. It seems that no one understands the rules. It is not at all clear that is in charge, which makes judgment, which is done and why. So I think, unfortunately, the chances of his return are slim.