Harvard professor leaves US after arrest with pellet gun near synagogue, said he was hunting rats

Published December 6, 2025 11:21am ET



BOSTON (AP) — A Harvard visiting law professor from Brazil who told police he was shooting at rats when he fired a pellet gun near a synagogue during Yom Kippur has left the United States after his visa was revoked, federal officials and his lawyer confirmed on Thursday.

After Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Carlos Portugal Gouvêa on Wednesday, officials said he agreed to depart the United States voluntarily instead of being deported. He arrived in Brazil on Thursday, according to a statement from his attorney, Joseph D. Eisenstadt.

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