A U.S. judge on Tuesday ruled that a customs officer improperly canceled the visa of a Russian-born scientist and Harvard University researcher charged with smuggling frog embryos in the U.S.
The opinion said Customs and Border Protection officers have limited authority to cancel visas and can't do so for suspected smuggling of biological samples. The cancellation of Kseniia Petrova 's visa was arbitrary and capricious, U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss said in her written ruling.
“The undisputed facts reveal that Ms. Petrova’s visa was impermissibly canceled because of the frog embryo samples and for no other reason,” Reiss wrote.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which includes Customs and Border Protection, didn't immediately return an email message seeking comment.
In February last year, Petrova was returning from a vacation in France, where she had stopped at a lab specializing in splicing superfine sections of frog embryos and obtained a package of samples for research. She was questioned about the samples while passing through a customs checkpoint at Boston Logan International Airport.
After an interrogation, Petrova was told her visa was being canceled.
Petrova was briefly detained by immigration officials in Vermont, where she filed a petition seeking her release. She was later sent to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Louisiana.
She told The Associated Press in an interview last year that she did not realize the samples needed to be declared and was not trying to sneak anything into the country. Petrova has been back in her Harvard lab since January after successfully petitioning a court for the right to return to work, her attorney, Gregory Romanovsky, said.
Tuesday's ruling was an important step toward “correcting what should never have happened in the first place,” Romanovsky said in a statement.
Petrova’s case is being closely watched by the scientific community, with some fearing it could impact recruiting and retaining foreign scientists at U.S. universities.
FILE - Harvard University researcher Kseniia Petrova, 30, departs the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse after being released on bail from federal custody on June 12, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham, File)
BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown had 35 points and nine rebounds, and the Boston Celtics outlasted the Charlotte Hornets 113-102 on Tuesday night.
Brown has scored 26 or more points in his last 10 games. Jayson Tatum added 23 points and has had at least 20 in each of his last six games. Both played the entire fourth quarter.
With the win, the Celtics inched closer to locking up the No. 2 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. It also gave Boston a 2-1 win in the season series with the Hornets, who could potentially be its first-round opponent.
The Hornets led by 11 in the first half but were outscored 35-26 in the third quarter as Boston took a 90-87 edge into the final period. The Celtics limited the Hornets to 15 points in the fourth, when they built a 13-point lead.
LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 36 points, his second straight 30-point game.
Brandon Miller had 20 points. Miles Bridges added 13 points and 12 rebounds. Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel struggled, shooting just 5 of 16 from the field and finishing with 13 points.
The Hornets have two games remaining as they try to avoid appearing in the play-in tournament.
Hornets: Host the Pistons on Friday.
Celtics: Visit the Knicks on Thursday.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) prepares to drive on Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) during the first half of a NBA basketball game, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Charlotte Hornets guard Josh Green (10) grabs a loose ball against Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) during the first half of a NBA basketball game, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, left, grabs a rebound against Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) during the first half of a NBA basketball game, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) takes a 3-point shot against Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser (30) during the first half of a NBA basketball game, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) grabs a rebound against Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) during the first half of a NBA basketball game, Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
