Patova, a 30-year-old Russian scientist at Harvard Medical School, has been detained by immigration and customs enforcement since February.

Her detention occurred when she was returning to Boston from a trip to France.

She brought back frog embryo samples for her lab, and the government says she knowingly broke the law in failing to properly declare them.

Petrova's attorney says it was a misunderstanding. A typical customs violation results in a fine, but Petrova

had her visa revoked, was detained and flagged for deportation. She's been a vocal critic of the

Russian government and its actions in Ukraine and fears persecution if deported there.

Her case has raised concerns among academics and international scientists about the treatment

of foreign researchers in the U.S. under the Trump administration. We spoke exclusively with

Petrova earlier today via a video conference call from the Louisiana facility where she's being detained.

So let's start at the beginning. You were detained in February at Boston's Logan Airport as you

were coming back from France for failing to declare frog embryo samples you had brought back as part of

your scientific research. Walk us through what happened.

I was stopped in the luggage area and was questioned about CBP officers about my samples

which were in my baggage.

After these were many, many questions about my samples and with my work and about what I was going to do with the samples in Harvard and how the samples were prepared and what for.

After this, the other civil officer came and she asked me the same questions once again.

And after she finished her questionary, she told me that she is canceling my visa.

And after she said me that she is canceling my visa, she asked if I'm afraid to be deported to my home country.

I said that, yes, I'm afraid.

They passed me to ice.

I spent a night in the cell in the airport.

And after the next day, they transferred me to to jail in Vermont where I spent another week.

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