4 March 5-11, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ MIAMI-DADE IN SEARCH OF THE FBI RAIDS EX-MIAMI-DADE SUPERINTENDENT ALBERTO CARVALHO’S HOME. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN F ederal law enforcement raided the home and office of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) superintendent and former Mi- ami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) superintendent Alberto Carvalho, the FBI confirmed to New Times on Wednes- day, February 25. “We can confirm that the FBI is serving a court-authorized warrant,” the FBI wrote in the statement. “However, the affidavit in sup- port of the warrant has been sealed by the court, and we, therefore, have no further comment.” Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion to join a federal lawsuit filed against LAUSD by a Montana-based conser- vative group, 1776 Project PAC, in the Central District of California that alleges the district’s desegregation Predominately Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Other (PHABO) program discriminates against white students. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles confirmed that the search is related to a court-authorized warrant but declined to provide more information. Federal authori- ties are reportedly also searching a location in Miami “tied to the investigation”, according to the New York Post. Property records show that Carvalho owns two units at 900 Biscayne Bay, a luxury condo tower in downtown Mi- ami. The Miami FBI field office confirmed to New Times in an email that a residence in Southwest Ranches was also searched “as part of this matter.” Broward County property re- cords only showed two addresses tied to Carv- alho, in Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale. Carvalho, who has served as LAUSD’s su- perintendent since February 2022, was the Mi- ami-Dade school district’s superintendent for 14 years. Born in Portugal, Carvalho emigrated to the United States as an undocumented im- migrant in the early 1980s. He previously worked as a science teacher at Miami Jackson Senior High School, later serving as the school’s assistant principal, before becoming the county superintendent in 2008. MDCPS is the fourth-largest school district in the country. In 2018, Carvalho initially accepted then- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s offer to lead the New York City Public Schools dis- trict. However, after an emergency board meeting, Carvalho changed his mind and de- clined de Blasio’s offer. As Miami-Dade superintendent, Carvalho had been recognized for his leadership, win- ning awards like National Superintendent of the Year, Florida Superintendent of the Year, and National Urban Superintendent of the Year. The community praised him for helping to turn around the school district by raising the graduation rate from below 60 percent to more than 90 percent. In December 2021, Carvalho announced he was leaving Miami-Dade for Los Angeles, home to the country’s second- largest school district. “Even though I will be calling Los Angeles home, Miami will always have a special place in my heart,” Carvalho said at the press conference. Carvalho has been highly critical of Presi- dent Donald Trump’s immigration crack- down in Los Angeles. In a news conference last year, Carvalho urged immigration agents not to conduct enforcement activity within two blocks of schools, starting an hour before classes begin and until an hour after school lets out. In 2017, as Miami-Dade superinten- dent, he slammed the first Trump adminis- tration’s immigration policies. “I came to this country at 17. I overstayed my visa. Put the label on me,” he said in a November 2017 speech. “I was poor. I am an immigrant. I was undocumented. I was, in the eyes of some, illegal. I was homeless un- der the bridge blocks away from where to- day I work.” In an emailed statement to New Times, LAUSD wrote, “We have been informed of law enforcement activity at Los Angeles Uni- fied School District headquarters and at the home of the Superintendent. The District is cooperating with the investigation, and we do not have further information at this time.” MDCPS has not responded to New Times’ emailed requests for comment. | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS California Gov. Gavin Newsom (left) and Alberto M. Carvalho (right) in Los Angeles, California on October 13, 2023. Photo by Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for Entertainment Industry Foundation ▼ SOUTH FLORIDA PLANE VIEW A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL ALLEGES KASH PATEL’S SOUTH FLORIDA FLIGHT DELAYED THE FBI’S RESPONSE TO THE BROWN UNIVERSITY SHOOTING. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN I n the wake of the outrage over FBI director Kash Patel flying to Italy on an FBI jet to watch the U.S. men’s hockey team compete for the gold medal at the Olympics, Patel’s use of FBI jets is now under further scrutiny. As first reported by MS Now, a government whistleblower claims the FBI’s evidence response team was delayed in arriving at the Brown Uni- versity mass shooting in Providence, Rhode Is- land, on December 13 because Patel had flown to South Florida on one of the FBI’s two jets and or- dered the other plane to be held for another team. Therefore, the whistleblower alleges, the evidence response team had to drive through a winter storm overnight from Quantico, Virginia, to arrive at the Brown campus by 9 a.m. on De- cember 14 to immediately process evidence. On December 13, Claudio Manuel Neves Va- lente, who previously lived in Miami, killed two stu- dents and wounded nine others inside a Brown University classroom. Two days after the shooting, Valente killed his former classmate and Massachu- setts Institute of Technology professor Nuno Lou- reiro. Following a five-day manhunt, Valente was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a storage unit in New Hampshire. Confidential sources told MS Now that Patel flew to South Florida on one of the jets and did not return until the afternoon of December 14. An FBI official also said Patel, who was in South Florida when the shooting occurred, was visiting his el- derly parents. New Times reviewed property re- cords that indicate his parents live in South Florida. Additionally, the whistleblower added, after news broke of the shooting, Patel ordered that the Hostage Rescue Team be on standby, which prevented any other FBI team from using the second plane. The Bureau’s evidence response teams are responsible for collecting forensic evi- dence from crime scenes. On Tuesday, after hearing the whistleblower’s account, Illinois Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Justice’s inspector general, accusing Patel of misplaced priorities and mismanagement of FBI resources. “The Director’s misplaced priorities and poor management of the FBI’s resources — including its aircraft — also harmed the FBI’s ability to re- spond to the shooting at Brown University on December 13, 2025,” Durbin wrote in the letter. “Once again, the shooting reconstruction team was set to respond to the scene immediately, but was unable to fly out of Richmond, Virginia, us- ing one of the FBI’s planes.” Back in May 2025, Durbin wrote a letter to the Government Ac- countability Office requesting that it review the Justice Department’s use of government- owned aircraft, following reports that Patel jet-set- ted across the country to visit his girlfriend in Nash- ville and catch an NHL game in Long Island on government planes. “The President has typically designated two executives within DOJ as ‘required use’ travelers — the Attorney General and the FBI Director — due to their need for special protective security measures and secure communications while in flight,” Durbin’s letter reads. “However, federal guidance requires that such travelers reimburse the government for any travel that is for political or personal reasons. “Recent public reporting about FBI Director Kash Patel’s use of government-owned aircraft has raised questions about whether these rules are being consistently followed.” Most recently, Patel, who had heavily criti- cized his predecessor, Christopher A. Wray, over his use of the FBI’s planes, faced backlash after a video surfaced of him celebrating in the locker room with the U.S. men’s hockey team following their gold medal win over Canada. Prior to the game, an FBI spokesperson said Patel’s trip was for law enforcement purposes, not personal reasons. “It also cannot be ignored that the Director’s latest personal jaunt occurred on the same weekend an armed intruder attempted to breach President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resi- dence,” Durbin continued. New Times emailed the FBI National Press Office for comment, but has not heard back as of press time. Staff writer Alex Deluca contributed to the re- porting of this story. [email protected] MOST RECENTLY, PATEL FACED BACKLASH AFTER A VIDEO SURFACED OF HIM CELEBRATING IN THE LOCKER ROOM WITH THE U.S. MEN’S HOCKEY TEAM.
