Harvard professor detained by ICE after Boston synagogue shooting, agrees to voluntarily leave US

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Harvard professor detained by ICE after Boston synagogue shooting, agrees to voluntarily leave US

Carlos Portugal Gouvea, a Brazilian national, allegedly fired BB gun outside Boston synagogue day before Yom Kippur

Alexandra Koch Fox News

Published

December 4, 2025 8:52pm EST

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday announced ICE had detained a Harvard Law School professor accused in a shooting outside a synagogue in October.

Carlos Portugal Gouvea, a Brazilian national, was arrested Oct. 2, after he allegedly fired a BB gun outside a Boston area synagogue the day before Yom Kippur.

Gouvea told authorities at the time he was "hunting rats."

He pleaded guilty Nov. 13 to illegal use of the air rifle, while his other charges of disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and vandalizing property were dismissed.

Harvard students walking through gate surrounded by brick wall and building

Harvard University suspended the professor pending the investigation. (Associated Press)

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The Harvard Crimson first reported Gouvea was suspended by the university pending the investigation, with synagogue leaders noting in an email the shooting was not "fueled by antisemitism."

Two weeks after the shooting, the Department of State revoked his temporary non-immigrant (J-1) visa.

ICE Boston Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested Gouvea on Wednesday, and he agreed to voluntarily leave the U.S., rather than be deported, according to DHS.

Harvard Law visiting professor Carlos Portugal Gouvea was detained by ICE on Wednesday. (Getty Images)

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"It is a privilege to work and study in the United States, not a right," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote in a statement. "There is no room in the United States for brazen, violent acts of anti-Semitism like this. They are an affront to our core principals as a country and an unacceptable threat against law-abiding American citizens."

McLaughlin added DHS is "under zero obligation to admit foreigners who commit these inexplicably reprehensible acts or to let them stay here."

There were conflicting reports about the motive of the shooting, which allegedly took place outside a synagogue. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

"Secretary [Kristi] Noem has made it clear that anyone who thinks they can come to America and commit anti-American and anti-Semitic violence and terrorism should think again," she wrote. "You are not welcome here."

Gouvea was a visiting professor of law at Harvard, with his full-time position being an associate professor at the University of São Paulo Law School and CEO of IDGlobal in Brazil.

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The university website noted he led research that shaped major Brazilian Supreme Court decisions, documented violence against Indigenous peoples, and participated on the boards of several Brazilian companies, including the Fulbright Commission, Brazilian Students Organization, Generation and Sempre SanFran.

Harvard did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Alexandra Koch is a Fox News Digital journalist who covers breaking news, with a focus on high-impact events that shape national conversation.

She has covered major national crises, including the L.A. wildfires, Potomac and Hudson River aviation disasters, Boulder terror attack, and Texas Hill Country floods.

Harvard professor detained by ICE after Boston synagogue shooting, agrees to voluntarily leave US