WASHINGTON, May 15, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The Trump administration is seeking to deport a Harvard scientist to her home country of Russia, which she fled fearing political persecution, her lawyer told AFP Wednesday.

Kseniia Petrova, a researcher at Harvard Medical School, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in February upon returning to the United States from a vacation in France.

According to a criminal complaint filed February 16, Petrova was stopped by customs officers at a Boston airport for allegedly failing to declare biological samples she had in her luggage.

She was subsequently told her visa was revoked and she would be sent back to Russia.

"It is true, the government is trying to deport Kseniia," Gregory Romanovsky, Petrova's lawyer, said in an email to AFP.

"She will have an opportunity to present her asylum claim and we do not expect a decision on her deportation case anytime soon," he added.

According to the criminal complaint, Petrova told authorities she feared she would be arrested if she returned to Russia for her participation in political protests.

"We'll continue to fight for Kseniia's freedom, as well as her immigration status in the US," Romanovsky said.

Since his return to the White House in January, US President Donald Trump has cracked down on immigration, pushing to step up deportations, including of migrants in higher education.

The administration has moved to revoke visas and deport foreign students involved in protests, accusing them of supporting Palestinian militant group Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel provoked the war.

It has also threatened several top-tier universities with funding freezes and other punishments, including Harvard University, prompting concerns over declining academic freedom.