A California State University Channel Islands lecturer accused of assaulting a federal officer during an immigration raid protest in Camarillo has been found not guilty.
A federal jury acquitted philosophy lecturer Jonathan Caravello after about two hours of deliberation, following a three-day trial.
The charges stem from a protest outside a cannabis farm in Camarillo last year, where federal agents were executing a search warrant tied to suspected labor violations. Demonstrators gathered on both sides of a road leading to the facility, attempting to block access as immigration enforcement unfolded.
Caravello said he learned about the raid through a local rapid response network and went to the scene with others from the community. Over several hours, tensions escalated as federal agents deployed tear gas into the crowd.
Caravello said he was hit with tear gas multiple times and described the experience as disorienting and painful.
“It’s just awful… you can’t breathe, it burns your skin,” he said.
Prosecutors alleged Caravello threw a tear gas canister toward federal agents during the protest. But Caravello argued he was trying to move it away from demonstrators—including a fellow protester—to prevent injuries.
He also said his actions carried a broader meaning.
“It shows that we’re not willing to back down,” Caravello told KCBX. “We want to show that we as a people are coming together.”
Caravello said video evidence presented at trial supported his account, showing the canister was thrown above officers—not at them—and suggested jurors saw flaws in the government’s case.
“Their arguments were ridiculous,” he said. “They kept suggesting that I threw it at officers when every video shows that I threw it so far above them.”
If convicted, Caravello could have faced up to 20 years in federal prison.
Caravello also described what he called harsh treatment following his arrest. He said he was held in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center for several days without being allowed to contact a lawyer or make a phone call, and was not given a change of clothes or basic hygiene items.
In the months leading up to the trial, he said he was required to wear an ankle monitor, follow a nightly curfew and submit to random drug testing. He said those conditions, along with his initial detention, took a toll on his mental health.
At the same time, Caravello said the experience deepened his connection to his community and reinforced his advocacy.
He said he plans to continue organizing alongside labor groups and immigrant rights advocates, focusing on supporting people who are detained or facing deportation.
“There are people today in detention centers who don’t have the privilege I have,” he said.
The protest—and the federal case that followed—drew national attention amid ongoing debates over immigration enforcement and the rights of demonstrators.
