A US judge on Wednesday granted a government motion to drop criminal charges against a Russian-born Harvard scientist accused of smuggling frog embryos into the United States.
Kseniia Petrova was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in February 2025 at a Boston airport after she failed to declare biological samples in her luggage upon returning from a trip to Paris.
Officials threatened her with deportation to Russia, which she had fled, fearing political persecution related to her protests against the war in Ukraine.
“The government anticipates that additional discovery disputes and litigation of a motion to dismiss would divert significant time and attention from more substantial federal interests,” prosecutors said in a new court filing.
“At this stage, the resource costs of continuing this prosecution outweigh the public interest in its resolution.”
Since his return to the White House in January 2025, US President Donald Trump has cracked down on immigration with a mass deportation push, with targets including foreigners in higher education.
His administration has also moved to revoke visas and deport foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian protests.
