California professor accused of assault after he was ‘kidnapped’ during ICE protests at cannabis farm raid
Federal prosecutors have accused a university professor of assaulting law enforcement by throwing a tear gas canister back at officers during protests against immigration raids at a California cannabis farm.
Jonathan Anthony Caravello, a math and philosophy lecturer at California State University Channel Islands, was arrested July 10 as heavily armed federal agents fired tear gas into crowds demonstrating against the raids.
Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, accused Caravello of “throwing a tear gas canister at law enforcement” and said his office is preparing to charge him with assaulting, resisting or impeding officers. Carvello’s first court appearance is Monday.
According to witnesses, a tear gas canister had rolled under the wheelchair of a legal observer who struggled to breathe or move. Caravello had reportedly rushed over to help when he was tackled by agents.
Following his arrest, more than 24 hours passed before Caravello’s whereabouts were discovered. His educators’ union, California Faculty Association, posted a statement saying that he had been “kidnapped” by four masked agents who did not identify themselves or state where they were taking him as they placed him in an unmarked car.
The university said in a statement that it believed Caravello “was peacefully participating in a protest — an act protected under the First Amendment and a right guaranteed to all Americans.”
“If confirmed, we stand with elected officials and community leaders calling for his immediate release,” the university said.
Members of the California Faculty Association held a vigil Sunday in front of a detention center demanding his release.
The raids and intense standoff between protesters and federal agents have emerged as the latest flashpoint in Donald Trump’s aggressive anti-immigration agenda, which has deployed masked federal law enforcement agents into communities to make mass arrests and swiftly remove thousands of people from the country.
Last week, officers arrested more than 300 people during a pair of raids inside cannabis farms in Camarillo, California, roughly 50 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Agents allegedly discovered 10 undocumented immigrant children working there.
The United Farm Workers union said several workers were critically injured during the raids, while other targeted workers, including a U.S. citizen, “remain totally unaccounted for.”
Agents are accused of chasing one worker who fell 30 feet from the top of a building. Jaime Alanis Garcia was hospitalized and placed on life support with a broken neck, broken skull and a severed artery.
Garcia was later removed from life support and died from his injuries.
“His wife and parents decided today to let him rest. He has passed away,” his family said in a statement.
The raids sparked an intense standoff between protesters and federal officers who arrived on the scene in military-style vehicles.
“We are outraged by these military-style tactics that target immigrants and terrorize communities,” California Faculty Association said in a statement.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security agents are “tearing families apart and undermining the constitutional rights of everyone — including U.S. citizens — who stand with marginalized communities,” the group said.
