A visiting professor at Harvard Law School has agreed to leave the United States after being arrested by immigration authorities, following an incident where he discharged a pellet gun outside a Massachusetts synagogue.
Arrest and Visa Revocation
Carlos Portugal Gouvea, a Brazilian citizen and associate professor at the University of São Paulo law school, was taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday. The arrest came after the US State Department revoked his temporary nonimmigrant visa. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed the professor had agreed to depart the country.
Gouvea had been teaching at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, during the fall semester. His representatives in Brazil stated that after being questioned by ICE, he was given the option to leave voluntarily and returned to Brazil as of Thursday. Harvard University declined to comment on the situation.
The Brookline Incident and Legal Resolution
The chain of events began on 1 October, the eve of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Police in Brookline, Massachusetts, arrested Gouvea after responding to a report of a person with a gun near Temple Beth Zion.
According to a police report, Gouvea stated he was using the pellet gun to hunt rats in the vicinity and was not aware he was next to a synagogue or that it was a significant religious holiday. Last month, he reached a deal to resolve a charge of illegally discharging a pellet gun.
As part of that agreement, he will serve six months of pre-trial probation and pay $386.59 in restitution. Charges for disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, and vandalism were dismissed.
Contrasting Descriptions and Broader Context
The Trump administration labelled the event an "anti-semitic shooting incident," a description that contrasts with the findings of local authorities. Both the Brookline police department, which investigated the matter, and Temple Beth Zion have previously indicated the incident did not appear to be motivated by antisemitism.
The temple informed its community that police had relayed Gouvea was "unaware that he lived next to, and was shooting his BB gun next to, a synagogue or that it was a religious holiday."
Gouvea's arrest occurred amidst a wider dispute between the Trump administration and Harvard. The administration has pressured the Ivy League institution over allegations it has not done enough to combat antisemitism and protect Jewish students on campus.
Harvard has sued over some administrative actions, leading a judge to rule in September that the administration unlawfully terminated more than $2bn in research grants awarded to the university.
