Jury Clears CSU Channel Islands Professor in Dubious Federal ICE Assault Case

Jonathan Caravello, a 38-year-old math and philosophy lecturer at Cal State Channel Islands, was acquitted Thursday of federal assault charges related to a 2025 immigration raid. The Los Angeles jury rejected claims that Caravello hurled a tear gas canister at ICE agents, a charge that carried a potential 20-year prison sentence.

The case stemmed from a July 10, 2025 raid by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Border Patrol at Glass House Farms, a cannabis operation in Camarillo. Prosecutors alleged that protesters, including Caravello, obstructed law enforcement and became violent, throwing rocks and interfering with agents’ ability to exit with detainees. They claimed Caravello kicked and then threw a tear gas canister back at agents.

Caravello’s defense and supporters painted a different picture: that he was peacefully protesting the raid’s cruelty and attempting to help a wheelchair-bound demonstrator trapped with a tear gas canister. The California Faculty Association, representing thousands of CSU educators, hailed the verdict as an affirmation of the right to protest and a rejection of the administration’s inhumane immigration tactics.

This acquittal adds to a troubling pattern of federal prosecutors in Los Angeles failing to secure convictions in cases charging protesters with assault on federal officers during anti-immigration enforcement demonstrations. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has lost every similar case brought to trial, raising questions about the legitimacy and motives behind these aggressive prosecutions.

Caravello’s case underscores the broader struggle against the Trump administration’s authoritarian crackdown on dissent and immigrant communities. The swift jury decision after just two hours of deliberation signals a judicial pushback against attempts to criminalize protest and silence critics of immigration enforcement abuses.

Supporters plan a rally Friday outside the downtown courthouse to celebrate the acquittal and renew calls for accountability in immigration raids. As these legal battles continue, Caravello’s victory offers a rare win for civil rights amid a relentless crackdown on dissent.