CSU Channel Islands professor indicted on assault charge after protests against federal raids in July
LOS ANGELES – Jonathan Caravello, a 37-year-old Channel Islands math professor arrested during federal raids outside of Camarillo and Carpinteria on July 10, 2025, was indicted Wednesday on one count of assault on a federal officer using a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Caravello is currently out of custody on a $15,000 bail and is expected to be arraigned on his charge in the coming weeks shared the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
"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," said California State University Channel Islands in a statement about Caravello's arrest.
During the raids, at least 375 people were taken into custody, including 14 children and a U.S. citizen, and one man, Jaime Garcia who was working at the grow house at the time, fell to his death during the law enforcement action.
"My uncle Jaime was just a hard-working, innocent farmer. He has his wife and daughter waiting for him. He was chased by ICE agents, and we were told he fell 30ft," wrote his family in a GoFundMe post. "He was his family's only provider. They took one of our family members. We need justice."
Federal personnel deployed tear gas into a crowd of people gathered outside of the grow locations and in the chaos, one person is alleged to have opened fire on federal agents.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California stated in a press release that protesters damaged government vehicles using rocks.
According to court documents, Caravello is alleged to have thrown one of the tear gas canisters deployed by federal personnel back at agents.
Agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection eventually took Caravello into custody and Homeland Security Investigations is still investigating the incident noted the U.S. Attorney's Office.
If convicted of his assault charge, Caravello faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
