Harvard professor detained by US immigration agents for firing pellet gun near synagogue

Authorities from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took a visiting Harvard Law School professor into custody this week after he admitted to discharging a pellet gun outside a synagogue in Massachusetts on the day before Yom Kippur, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Carlos Portugal Gouvea, a Brazilian national, was apprehended after the U.S. State Department revoked his temporary nonimmigrant visa. The Trump administration described the event as an "anti-Semitic shooting incident," though local officials have disputed that characterization.

Gouvea, an associate professor at the University of So Paulo Law School who spent the fall semester teaching at Harvard, has consented to leave the United States, according to Homeland Security. Attempts to reach Gouvea for comment were unsuccessful, and Harvard University declined to comment.

The arrest occurred amid ongoing tensions between Harvard and the Trump administration, which has criticized the university for allegedly failing to adequately combat antisemitism and ensure the safety of Jewish students. Harvard has challenged some of the administration's actions in court, leading a judge in September to rule that the government had unlawfully cut more than $2 billion in research funding to the university.

The Brookline Police Department initially arrested Gouvea on October 1 after responding to reports of a person with a firearm near Temple Beth Zion on the eve of Yom Kippur. According to police, Gouvea claimed he was using the pellet gun to hunt rodents. He later agreed to plead guilty to illegally discharging the pellet gun and was sentenced to six months of pretrial probation. Charges for disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, and property damage were dropped under the plea agreement.

Temple Beth Zion and local authorities have indicated that the incident did not appear motivated by antisemitism. Police reported that Gouvea was unaware that he was near a synagogue or that it was a religious holiday.

Author: Harper Simmons