Richwood, Louisiana - Harvard Medical School researcher Kseniia Petrova, a Russian national, is reportedly being detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Louisiana.

Petrova was detained at Logan International Airport in Boston on February 16 upon returning from a two-week vacation in France. Her visa was revoked after she mistakenly failed to properly declare frog embryos she was bringing into the US, the Harvard Crimson reported.

The academic's attorney has argued that failing to declare an object at customs – which is punishable with up to a $500 fine and the object's seizure – is not grounds for revoking a visa.

Petrova was reportedly given the choice of being sent back to France to reapply for a visa or being deported and barred from the US for five years.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. RFK Jr. reportedly planning to gut Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy office

She chose returning to France, but was instead detained when she told a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer she fears political persecution if sent back to Russia, as she was arrested in 2022 for protesting the war in Ukraine.

Petrova was initially sent to an ICE facility in Chittenden, Vermont, before she was transferred to another facility in Louisiana, where she remains today.

Petrova's lawyer has filed a petition challenging the expedited removal proceedings, which allow for quick deportations without a full hearing before an immigration judge, as the Harvard researcher had not violated the terms of her visa, according to the Crimson.

An asylum petition has also been filed, while a request for release on parole was initially declined on March 14.

A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $39,000 to help cover Petrova's legal fees and monthly expenses.