CaliToday (06/12/2025): A visiting professor at Harvard Law School has agreed to self-deport to Brazil following his arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The move comes in the wake of a bizarre and alarming incident where the academic fired a weapon outside a Brookline synagogue during Yom Kippur, intensifying concerns regarding antisemitism and safety at Jewish institutions.
Carlos Portugal Gouvea, 43, a Brazilian national and legal scholar, has agreed to voluntarily depart the United States to avoid formal deportation proceedings. His legal status collapsed after the Department of State revoked his J-1 visa, citing the disturbing nature of his actions on October 2, 2025.
The Incident: "Rat Hunting" on Yom Kippur
The incident occurred on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. According to Brookline police reports, Gouvea was discovered outside Temple Beth Zion brandishing a high-powered air gun.
While Gouvea later pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of a firearm on November 13, his defense claimed he was merely "hunting rats" in the area. However, the optics and actions told a more dangerous story:
Gouvea fired at least two shots near the house of worship.
One shot shattered the window of a nearby parked vehicle.
When confronted by synagogue security, a brief physical scuffle ensued before police intervened.
For a community already on high alert, the sight of an armed man firing shots outside a synagogue during High Holy Days sparked immediate fear and outrage.
ICE Intervention and "Zero Tolerance"
The fallout was swift. Just two weeks after the shooting, the State Department revoked Gouvea's visa. Agents from ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Boston subsequently took him into custody.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), issued a stern statement regarding the case:
"The United States has no place for behavior that threatens law-abiding citizens and runs contrary to our nation's core values."
By agreeing to a voluntary departure, Gouvea avoids the immediate legal hurdles of a deportation trial but effectively ends his tenure in American academia in disgrace.
Harvard Under the Microscope
The incident has placed Harvard University back in the center of a national firestorm regarding its handling of antisemitism.
While the university placed Gouvea on administrative leave following the arrest, they have remained tight-lipped regarding further disciplinary measures. This silence has drawn criticism from those who believe Ivy League institutions have been too lenient regarding hostility toward Jewish communities.
The Political Stakes: The timing is particularly sensitive. The arrest occurred just days after President Trump announced a preliminary agreement to restore $2.4 billion in federal funding to Harvard. That funding had been previously frozen due to allegations that the university had failed to protect Jewish students from discrimination.
Gouvea’s actions, and his subsequent removal by federal authorities, serve as a stark reminder of the heightened tensions on U.S. campuses and the Trump administration's aggressive stance on enforcing security and immigration laws within higher education.
Sources: Brookline.News, The Post