Professor Caravello Freed After Wrongful ICE Detention: CFA Demand End to Politically Motivated Arrests

After days of national outrage and mounting pressure from unions, immigrant rights groups, and educators across the country, Dr. Jonathan A. Caravello, a U.S. citizen, mathematics lecturer at California State University Channel Islands, and a member of the California Faculty Association (CFA), has been released from federal custody following a judge’s order.

Dr. Caravello was detained on Thursday, July 10, during a peaceful protest at Glass House Farms in Camarillo, where community members were decrying what they described as a militarized ICE raid targeting immigrant farmworkers. The arrest sparked swift backlash and calls for his immediate release, with many viewing the detention as a politically motivated act meant to intimidate union members and community leaders exercising their First Amendment rights.

“This is a victory, but it never should’ve happened,” read a post from SEIU, one of the nation’s largest labor unions, shortly after Caravello’s release. “We must #EndRaids and free all those unjustly detained.”

Caravello’s arrest is part of what labor leaders are calling a “disturbing pattern” of politically motivated retaliation against those who challenge aggressive immigration enforcement. Last month, SEIU California President David Huerta was also arrested while protesting immigration policy in Los Angeles. In both cases, advocates say federal authorities overstepped legal boundaries in order to silence dissent.

“The arrest of Professor Caravello was an outrageous abuse of power and an attack on basic freedoms,” said Rocío Sáenz, Executive Vice President of SEIU. “His release is a step toward justice, but thousands of working people remain unjustly held.”

The California Faculty Association echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the broader implications of the arrest for academic freedom, civil liberties, and immigrant rights.

“Jonathan is a deeply committed educator and mentor who showed up for their students and immigrant communities, and for that, they were targeted,” said Margarita Berta-Ávila, CFA President and a professor at Sacramento State. “Their release sends a powerful message: when we organize and raise our voices together, we win.”

Caravello’s supporters gathered outside Oxnard City Hall over the weekend to rally for his release and to demand freedom for others still held in federal custody. Protesters held signs reading “Stop the Raids,” “No ICE in Our Fields,” and “Educators Belong in Classrooms, Not Cages.”

At the heart of the protest was a call for an end to ICE raids on farms and communities, which labor organizers argue disproportionately target immigrant workers and sow fear in vulnerable communities. The July 10 operation in Camarillo reportedly involved tear gas and heavily armed agents. Witnesses say Caravello was trying to assist a disabled protester affected by tear gas when he was detained.

In a joint statement, SEIU and CFA emphasized that the fight is far from over. They are calling for a full investigation into the raid, the immediate release of any others detained, and greater protections for those exercising their constitutional rights.

“We will not rest until all workers, no matter where they come from, are free, safe, and respected,” Sáenz said.

Dr. Caravello’s release has been hailed as a testament to the power of collective action, but it also serves as a warning about the fragility of civil liberties when dissent is met with force.