CSU Channel Islands Professor Cleared in Federal Assault Case Over 2025 Immigration Protest

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 05:34:00 +0200

A federal jury in Los Angeles acquitted Jonathan Caravello, a 38-year-old math and philosophy professor at California State University Channel Islands, of assaulting federal agents with a dangerous weapon during a 2025 protest against an immigration raid at a Camarillo cannabis farm. Prosecutors alleged that Caravello threw a tear gas canister at Border Patrol agents during the July protest, but his defense argued he acted only to remove the canister from people nearby after law enforcement deployed gas indiscriminately. Caravello refused a plea deal early in the process, insisting on his innocence and viewing the trial as a stand for protest rights. His attorney, Knut Johnson, criticized the Department of Justice for pursuing what he called an unnecessary case that caused immense stress. The California Faculty Association celebrated the verdict as a victory for protest rights and announced continued support for immigrant workers affected by the raids, which led to over 300 undocumente