Why CFA Member John Caravello’s Story Matters to Us

On April 6, Dr. John Caravello, CFA member and CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) lecturer, will head to trial to defend against a federal felony charge that was brought against him for his role in the Glass House Raid on July 10, 2025. 

Almost a year has gone by since Caravello was abducted by ICE officers and later accused of assaulting them with a “deadly weapon.” That weapon was a tear gas canister—one thrown by ICE agents at a crowd of peaceful protestors—that Caravello safely cleared away from fellow protestors. 

While initially charged with a misdemeanor and released on July 14, 2025, a federal grand jury escalated the charge on September 3 to a felony, which could land Caravello up to 20 years in prison if he is found guilty. 

Caravello’s experience is not unique. It reflects a broader pattern in which an authoritarian government uses coercive tactics to suppress free speech and criminalize political dissent. 

On March 12, students, faculty, staff, and community members gathered during the “Drop the Charges” rally at CSUCI to demand that the federal prosecutor dismiss the charges against Caravello. 

The rally was organized by Students for Quality Education (SQE) and CFA members. 56 organizations endorsed the rally, including labor unions, student and faculty organizations, small businesses, non-profits, and social justice organizations. Dozens of these groups’ members mobilized in solidarity with Caravello. Rapid response groups tabled at the event to connect people with immigration defense resources. 

At the opening of the rally, Marianne Parra, an organizer with Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, thanked Caravello for his solidarity with the Indigenous community and prayed for the safety of frontline organizers who continue to fight for immigration justice. Parra’s daughter Robyne, a CSUCI alum, reflected on her own experience with Caravello, saying, “As a professor, John made me feel like I not only deserved to be here, but belonged here.” 

SQE interns Ryan Witt and Jaime Chavez highlighted the importance of student-faculty solidarity. Witt highlighted Caravello’s sense of duty to students, noting that his peaceful defense of undocumented workers is motivated by unity with his students, many of whom have undocumented family members. In contrast, Witt condemned the brutal actions of federal agents at the Glass House ICE raid, including hitting students with their car and using teargas against peaceful protesters.  

“We demand the immediate dropping of John’s unjust charges,” Witt said. “We demand the full abolition of ICE, DHS, and Border Patrol, as well as the prosecution of all government officials that have been waging a campaign of state terrorism against immigrants.” 

Chavez spoke to the groundswell of student support for Caravello. “That is why when we say hands off students and faculty, we mean hands off the people who teach us, guide us, and support us.”  

Dr. Kendall McClellan, CFA Channel Islands lecturer representative and CSUCI lecturer, remarked that Caravello has a gift for creating spaces where students feel acknowledged. Referring to Caravello’s advocacy during a Title IX reform campus march, McClellan, a lecturer at CSUCI, said, “He helped organize it, but also, by raising his voice, he created the solidarity and space students needed to raise their own. They felt heard and seen on our campus—some, I’m sure, for the first time.”  

Reflecting on the fear felt by his friends and loved ones, Dr. Georgina Guzmán, CFA Channel Islands member and CSUCI professor, reflected on Caravello’s kidnapping by masked federal agents stated, “It was an excruciatingly difficult time for all of us who care for him. His students, colleagues, and friends immediately launched a campaign to locate him and secure his release. We called every jail, every hospital, to try to locate him.”  

Mercedes Cacho, a representative of MEChA de Channel Islands and a Queer Chicanx student, affirmed the solidarity felt between her community and educators, like Caravello, that support people like her. “We, the students, stand with you, John, the same way you stand with my community. It’s my turn now to show you, not just with words, but with actions. I got your back.”  

Caravello has been dealing with PTSD caused by the cruel treatment of federal agents. Despite the lack of evidence for the charges brought against him, Caravello’s freedom of movement is restricted and his location is constantly monitored. Following his pretrial release, he was forced to wear an ankle monitor for eight months, which he paid out of pocket for each month. It has since gotten worse. He is now required to use an invasive app that wakes him up at four random times every night. The app requires him to take a selfie within three minutes of being notified.  

Despite this repression, Caravello underscored how the love from community members is what keeps his spirit full. It is also why he got into social justice organizing in the first place.   

“Are we angry? Of course we are angry,” said Caravello. “But we are not violent. We are practitioners of love. We are the caretakers—of life and of Earth; we are the liberation educators—both student and teacher; we are the revolutionary leaders of a new way of being. We don’t constrict movement. We catalyze it. We don’t tear down structures. We build them. We don’t freeze, we radiate heat.”  

Rally attendees signed a petition demanding that the federal prosecutor drop all charges against Caravello. We strongly encourage you to sign it as well.  

Caravello’s trial begins April 6 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. We are anticipating that it will be a five-day trial. We strongly encourage all community members to come together as one to support Caravello as his trial. 

The attacks on educators, especially regarding free speech and academic freedom, are not going to cease, and Caravello will not be the last CFA member and activist who will be impacted by these unjust campaigns against political dissent. 

CFA members remain committed to these vales and the safety and flourishing of all the communities the CSU serves.