A group of Senate Democrats on Monday sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security demanding the release of a Harvard Medical School researcher who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) amid the Trump administration's crackdown.

“We write with great concern about recent reports that Kseniia Petrova, a Russian citizen and Harvard Medical School researcher, had her J-1 scholar visa revoked over a month ago,” said the letter, from Sen. Adam Schiff (Calif.) and 15 other Democrats to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.  

Petrova was detained on her way back from France over failure to disclose frog embryos she was bringing into the country.

“A subsequent K9 inspection uncovered undeclared petri dishes, containers of unknown substances, and loose vials of embryonic frog cells, all without proper permits,” a DHS spokesperson said in the statement. “Messages found on her phone revealed she planned to smuggle the materials through customs without declaring them.” 

“She knowingly broke the law and took deliberate steps to evade it,” they added. 

When the officers gave her the opportunity to go back to her country and reapply for a visa, Petrova said she was afraid of political persecution after the Russian government arrested her back in 2022 for protesting the war in Ukraine.  

After she said that, she was taken to a detention center in Louisiana where she is waiting for her case to be heard by a judge in May.  

Petrova’s lawyer is arguing that not disclosing substances to Customs and Border Patrol is a $500 fine, not a cause for deportation.  

“Petrova is reportedly being held with at least 70 other detainees in the same cell,” the letter reads. “Absent evidence that Petrova is a flight risk or a danger to the community, we strongly urge you to reconsider ICE’s recent decision not to grant Petrova parole and exercise discretion within your authority to release her from detention while her asylum case is pending.” 

“Moreover, we are deeply concerned about the possibility that Petrova could face persecution if deported to Russia. We urge the Administration to ensure full due process in her case and take all appropriate and necessary measures to ensure she is not deported to Russia,” the senators added.  

Petrova is one of several academics and scholars caught up in President Trump's immigration crackdown. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that at least 300 student visas have been revoked under the Trump administration, and multiple high-profile cases are going through the courts as the federal government tries to revoke the visas or green cards of international students and faculty who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.