A leftist professor working at a taxpayer-funded university is accused of hurling a tear gas canister at immigration agents during a raid on a California cannabis farm suspected of child labor violations, court records show.
California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) math lecturer Jonathan Caravello was arrested in an altercation with immigration officials Thursday in Camarillo, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) affidavit. Caravello identified himself in public statements the day prior as a volunteer for VC Defensa, a left-leaning activist group that encouraged the chaotic protest the professor attended that saw several arrests and an alleged shooting targeting federal agents.
Dr. Caravello’s abduction by immigration officials last week was a clear violation of their right to free speech and an attempt to terrorize union members and educators who speak out against injustice in their communities.
Here’s our statement: https://t.co/SUwDZnfRg4
— California Faculty Association (@CFA_United) July 14, 2025
Caravello allegedly picked up a can of tear gas that Border Patrol agents threw to disperse protesters and tossed it back at them, narrowly missing law enforcement officers’ heads, the affidavit says. The document alleged that Caravello threw back canisters multiple times. While being arrested, the professor allegedly tried to grab a Border Patrol agent’s leg and refused to give law enforcement his name.
The affidavit accuses Caravello of assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer. Court records do not yet list an attorney for the professor.
Caravello said in a public comment Wednesday to the Camarillo City Council that he had “recently” become a volunteer for VC Defensa. He also declared that “no one is illegal” in response to the Trump administration’s mass deportation policy.
VC Defensa and the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) called on protesters to arrive at the Camarillo farm to confront ICE during the raid, the Daily Caller News Foundation previously reported. One post shared by both groups cheered on the crowd for standing in fields “to protect [the] area from more agents coming in.” Federal authorities later said they found illegal immigrants with serious criminal records and unaccompanied minors at the farm, adding that it is under investigation for possible child labor.
VC Defensa did not respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.
Caravello has been released on bail and has an arraignment scheduled for Aug. 1, Ojai Valley News reported. VC Defensa amplified a Monday Instagram post celebrating his release.
CSUCI did not respond to a request for comment. The university and the California Faculty Association (CFA), a union that counts Caravello as a member, have suggested the professor was a peaceful demonstrator.
“At this time, it is our understanding that Professor Caravello was peacefully participating in a protest — an act protected under the First Amendment and a right guaranteed to all Americans,” CSUCI said in an undated statement responding to news of his arrest. “If confirmed, we stand with elected officials and community leaders calling for his immediate release.”
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