A U.S. judge says 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. In a ruling Tuesday, the judge said Customs and Border Protection officers have limited authority to cancel visas and can't do so for suspected smuggling of biological samples.

A federal judge in Vermont has granted a Russian-born scientist and Harvard University researcher release from immigration custody as she deals with a criminal charge of smuggling frog embryos into the U.S. Colleagues and academics testified Wednesday on Kseniia Petrova’s behalf, saying she is doing valuable research in pursuing cures for cancer.

A federal judge has ordered the transfer of a Russian-born scientist and Harvard University researcher facing deportation from Louisiana, where she was detained by immigration authorities, to Massachusetts, where she has been charged with trying to smuggle frog embryos.