Radical college lecturer charged after allegedly throwing projectile at Border Patrol in California pot farm clash

A federal grand jury has indicted a far-left university instructor for his alleged actions during a federal raid of California pot farms over the summer.

On July 10, Jonathan Caravello, 37, was among a group of Cal State University Channel Islands faculty and students who protested federal agents carrying out search warrants at a state-licensed marijuana facility operated by Glass House Farms in Camarillo.

He 'turned around, ran towards the canister, picked it up, and threw it overhand back at Border Patrol agents.'

The crowd of unruly protesters soon turned violent, throwing rocks at government vehicles that attempted to leave the facility, breaking windows and side-view mirrors, the DOJ claimed in a press release.

According to the criminal complaint obtained by Blaze News, Caravello engaged in several behaviors that impeded federal agents from doing their job. For one thing, the complaint said, he marched along the yellow police tape "loudly playing a siren sound on the megaphone" that he directed toward Border Patrol agents.

Photo by BLAKE FAGAN/AFP via Getty Images

After agents began releasing tear gas "to assist with crowd control, ensure officer safety, and to allow law enforcement to depart the location," a gas canister rolled near the feet of some protesters, including Caravello, the DOJ press release said. Caravello first attempted to kick the can, but it "rolled past him," so he "turned around, ran towards the canister, picked it up, and threw it overhand back at Border Patrol agents," it claimed.

The canister thrown by Caravello "came within approximately several feet above law enforcements’ heads," the criminal complaint added. Other statements in the criminal complaint indicate that Caravello may have thrown multiple "canisters" at agents.

Caravello then left the scene, only to return a couple of hours later, having changed from a blue shirt into a pink shirt and wearing a different pair of shoes, perhaps in a failed attempt to "disguise" himself, the criminal complaint said. He was subsequently identified as the "agitator" who threw the canisters and arrested despite his apparent resistance.

"CARAVELLO would not comply and attempted to grab a BP Agent’s leg," the criminal complaint said. He also "continuously kicked his legs and refused to give the BP agents his arms."

'We do not need to prove injury to prove assault with a deadly or dangerous weapon.'

The day after his arrest, the California Faculty Association claimed on Instagram that ICE agents had "kidnapped" Caravello by throwing him into an "unmarked vehicle" without explanation. The Instagram post also included a video of the protest, as well as a clip of Caravello's appearance at a Camarillo City Council meeting the night before.

"Many of my students are undocumented," Caravello said during the public comment period of the meeting, "and many of their families are undocumented. It's my responsibility to protect them, and so I've been patrolling the city streets, following armed, masked thugs trying to kidnap my neighbors."

During his public remarks, which he delivered almost exclusively in a dull monotone, Caravello denounced the "genocide" in Palestine, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and alleged instances of police misconduct in the U.S. dating back to the 1960s, as well as current ICE efforts at immigration enforcement.

The only moment in which Caravello's voice became slightly animated was when he seemingly addressed members of the council but without lifting his gaze from his prepared statement to look at them. "You, our elected officials, should swear [ICE] off, if not in policy then in spirit, to at the very least pay back your undocumented community members for picking your f**king strawberries," he said with emphasis, prompting a faint spattering of claps from the audience.

"No one is illegal. Power to the people," he concluded, returning to his previous monotone delivery.

Screenshot of criminal complaint

Caravello is listed as a philosophy lecturer with the Mathematics Program at CSUCI. The university confirmed to Blaze News that he remains employed there and will be teaching this semester. The university also claimed that it will not be assisting with his defense.

"We are aware of the recent indictment involving Jonathan Caravello. As this matter is currently before the courts, we will not be commenting on the details of the case. We respect the legal process and believe it is important to allow it to proceed without speculation. Our focus remains on our ongoing work and commitments to our students," CSUCI said in a statement to Blaze News.

Caravello has been charged with one count of assault on a federal officer using a deadly or dangerous weapon. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. He is currently free on $15,000 bond.

Neither Caravello nor the California Faculty Association responded to a request for comment from Blaze News.

Public affairs officer Ciaran McEvoy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California did not directly respond to Blaze News' question about whether any agents were injured on account of Caravello's alleged actions, but did state, "We do not need to prove injury to prove assault with a deadly or dangerous weapon."

After clarifying that agents were not executing an "immigration raid" on the day in question but "judicially approved search warrants in connection with an ongoing investigation," McEvoy added, "We have no further comment."

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Border czar: Trump built the most secure border in American history

I was out to dinner with my wife when my phone rang. The caller ID said “POTUS.” My wife muttered, “Oh, s**t.” President Donald Trump told me he wanted me to take care of three things: secure the border, run a mass deportation operation, and find hundreds of thousands of missing children. Those were his instructions when he offered me the job as his border czar.

As of today, we have the most secure border in the nation's history. I don’t take credit for that. The credit goes to President Trump for signing the executive orders that ended catch-and-release, reinstated Remain in Mexico, and put into place the agreements and policies that worked. And the greatest credit belongs to the men and women of the United States Border Patrol, the finest I’ve ever met.

Every day I look at the numbers: criminals arrested, terrorists stopped, children rescued. It makes me proud — proud of ICE, proud of Border Patrol, and proud of the president who made it possible.

Under Trump, Border Patrol brought down illegal immigration more than 90% in just seven weeks — even faster than I thought possible. I expected it would take 120 days. That’s what happens when the men and women of Border Patrol are allowed to do their jobs.

A border crisis by design

For the last four years, I’ve been raising hell about the open border intentionally inflicted on this country by the Biden administration. This wasn’t mismanagement or incompetence. It was by design.

I know because I was there under President Barack Obama. Former President Joe Biden was vice president, and former Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas was deputy secretary. We faced a family surge back then. We stopped it by building family residential centers, detaining migrants until they saw a judge, and then deporting the 90% who lost their asylum claims. It worked.

But when Biden and Mayorkas returned to power, they did the opposite of what they knew worked. They refused to detain. They refused to let Immigration and Customs Enforcement do its job. They created chaos by design. Every day the border was open, women were raped, children died, families were trafficked, and terrorists slipped through. A harrowing 31% of women who cross the border through cartels are sexually assaulted. That’s horrendous.

Trump’s policies cut illegal immigration by 96%. That meant fewer rapes, fewer deaths, fewer trafficked children, and less fentanyl poisoning Americans. Trump’s policies saved thousands of lives every week. But you won’t hear that from the media.

Nothing about Biden’s border was humane

The Biden administration called itself humane. That’s a lie. Under Biden, a record number of migrants died — over 4,000. A quarter-million Americans died from fentanyl crossing an open border. Sex trafficking hit all-time highs. Cartels made record profits smuggling people and drugs.

Compare that to today: Trump’s secure border has reduced crossings from 10,000 to 15,000 a day under Biden to as few as 162 — all arrested, all returned, zero releases. That is a secure border.

Biden’s so-called humane approach killed more Americans and more migrants, and it enriched cartels. There is nothing humane about that.

Enforcing the law saves lives

ICE removals since January are approaching 400,000. About 70% of arrests are of criminals — and yes, DUI counts. Ten thousand Americans die every year from drunk drivers. The other arrests include gang members and even suspected terrorists. ICE is enforcing the laws Congress passed.

But sanctuary cities stand in the way. They release criminal aliens back into neighborhoods instead of handing them over to ICE. They call themselves “welcoming.” In reality, they are sanctuaries for criminals. Victims in immigrant communities don’t want predators back in their neighborhoods. Sanctuary politicians know this, but they put politics above safety.

So we’re flooding the zone. Chicago’s mayor said I wasn’t welcome. I went anyway. In one day, ICE arrested child predators, gang members, drug traffickers, and murderers. Chicago will be made safe again.

Attacks on ICE, silence on missing children

ICE agents are under attack like never before. Assaults against agents are up 1,000%. Their families are being doxxed. Members of Congress call them Nazis and racists, even though all they do is enforce the laws Congress wrote. It’s disgusting.

Trump also tasked me with finding hundreds of thousands of missing migrant children. It’s the hardest job, because kids don’t have digital footprints. We rely on the so-called sponsors who took them in — many with fake addresses. Too often, these children end up in sex trafficking or forced labor.

We’re trying to reunite kids with their parents. We even had agreements to return children safely to Guatemala. But liberal judges blocked us. These same people accuse Trump of family separation. Yet Biden’s failures have led to half a million separations and more than 300,000 missing children. Who are the real masters of family separation?

The stakes

Biden released millions into this country because he wanted to delay their hearings for years. Why? To buy time for amnesty and to gain political power through census reapportionment. That’s not just cynical — it’s selling out America.

Trump’s policies, by contrast, work because they follow the law. If you enter illegally, the law says you shall be detained. That law is saving lives today.

I took a pay cut to come back under Trump because I respect him as much as I respected my father. He’s not perfect — no man is — but when it comes to border security, there’s no one better.

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Every day I look at the numbers: criminals arrested, terrorists stopped, children rescued. It makes me proud — proud of ICE, proud of Border Patrol, and proud of the president who made it possible.

To those agents on the front lines: Thank you. You are making this country safer every day.

And to the politicians, judges, and media who attack us: Shame on you. We’re not going anywhere.

Editor’s note: This article has been adapted from remarks delivered on Wednesday, September 3, at the fifth National Conservatism conference (NatCon 5) in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Border Patrol Blocks Pro-America War Hero From Leading New Classical College

Harold Ristau repeatedly put his life on the line for the United States in deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Nonprofits aided the invasion — now they obstruct deportation

President Donald Trump’s return to office marked the beginning of the end of the Biden-Harris border crisis. On day one, Trump took swift action to shut down the lawless pipeline that brought millions of illegal aliens into the country over the past four years.

But the federal government didn’t act alone. It relied on help — and that help came from well-funded nonprofit organizations.

Congress needs to look into whether these nonprofit organizations, directly or indirectly, are supporting people who interfere with federal law enforcement.

Non-governmental organizations played a critical role in sustaining the chaos. Groups like Catholic Charities, operating along the southern border, became de facto partners of the Biden administration. They served as the first stop for migrants after release from Border Patrol custody — offering shelter, services, and a pathway deeper into the United States.

These NGOs gave the White House political cover. By absorbing migrant overflow, they helped reduce the bad optics of people sleeping on sidewalks outside overwhelmed facilities. Even so, mass overcrowding forced thousands into the streets anyway, including during freezing winter months.

Taxpayer-funded, these groups didn’t just serve border towns. They helped migrants reach destinations across the country, arranging transportation and long-term support — despite the migrants’ unresolved legal status. Similar NGOs operated throughout the U.S. interior, extending the federal handoff.

Worse, many of these same organizations operate beyond our borders, guiding migrants along the journey north. From Central America through cartel-controlled regions of Mexico, these so-called humanitarian groups provided aid and logistical support — all while collecting public funds. That support only increased the flow.

In 2023, a shelter director in El Paso told me that around 80% of the women who came through the shelter doors had been raped, sometimes in front of their children. The brutal reality: What NGOs call “help” often exposes vulnerable people to predation, trauma, and lifelong damage. Yes, they reached the United States — but at horrific cost.

FG Trade via Getty Images

On Wednesday, I will testify before the House Homeland Security Committee on this very issue. Congress must act to ensure that taxpayer dollars can never again fund the infrastructure of illegal immigration. Using public funds to support border anarchy is not just bad policy — it’s a betrayal of the American people.

This four-year catastrophe helped spark the unrest now roiling sanctuary cities. Americans elected President Trump to clean it up and to begin the work of mass deportation. They want the damage undone.

Yet these NGOs haven’t disappeared. They’ve shown up at recent protests and riots in Los Angeles County. During a recent federal operation in the El Centro Sector in California, four people were arrested after allegedly placing homemade spikes on the road to disable Border Patrol vehicles. One carried a bag branded with the logo of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

Congress needs to look into whether these organizations, directly or indirectly, are supporting people who interfere with federal law enforcement.

The Biden-Harris administration opened the border. NGOs kept it open. And now the country is paying the price. Accountability must come next.

Trump Has No Reason To Compromise With Democrats On Immigration

Inviting Democrats to sit at the immigration-policy table will accomplish nothing and will jeopardize this core issue of the president’s.

‘It’s Despicable’: Democrats Won’t Condemn Ambush Attacks On ICE

As attacks on immigration law enforcers escalate, are ICE-bashing Democrats stoking the flames of violence with their incendiary rhetoric?

Gunman receives deadly comeuppance during ambush on Border Patrol agents — just days after officer shot near ICE facility

A gunman clad in tactical gear was shot dead after ambushing U.S. Border Patrol agents outside a federal annex facility in Texas — just days after a police officer was shot in the neck while responding to a suspicious person near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Alvarado, Texas.

The Department of Homeland Security said an armed man opened fire at the entrance of the U.S. Border Patrol sector annex in McAllen on Monday morning. The gunman was wearing tactical gear and wielding a rifle, according to Fox News.

'The Department has zero tolerance for assaults on federal officers or property and will bring the full weight of the law against those responsible.'

The suspect – identified by authorities as 27-year-old Ryan Luis Mosqueda – engaged in a deadly firefight with Border Patrol agents and local police.

McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said at a news conference that Mosqueda was "loaded for bear" and that "another rifle and other assaultive weapons" were discovered in the suspect's vehicle.

Rodriguez noted that the suspect shot dozens of rounds of ammunition at law enforcement officers.

Two local police officers and one Border Patrol employee were injured in the firefight, and all three were transported to the hospital.

Rodriguez said an officer with the McAllen Police Department was struck in the knee, but the police chief added that the cop was in stable condition and would be "fine."

Meanwhile, Mosqueda was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents and local police officers.

— (@)

As far as a motive, Rodriguez said, "There is not enough known." However, he added, "When someone drives onto a parking lot and opens fire, there is some premeditation involved."

A local law enforcement official and a source familiar with the matter told CNN that the suspect's vehicle was spray-painted with the phrase “Cordis Die,” which is a main antagonist in the "Call of Duty" video game. Law enforcement noted that the vehicle had Michigan license plates and that Mosqueda was connected to an address in Michigan.

The FBI said it is leading the investigation.

An FBI spokesperson told Newsweek, "The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we will continue working with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure the safety of this community. Since this is still a developing incident, no further information will be shared at this time. Once there is additional information to publicly release, we will do so."

The National Border Patrol Council – the union that represents Border Patrol employees – stated, "We are thankful for the prayers for our agents and personnel. Targeted violence will not be tolerated and will be dealt with swiftly. Justice will be served. Our agents and law enforcement partners will not back down."

The White House said it is aware of the Border Patrol shooting and that it is "working with the appropriate federal agencies to get to the bottom of what happened."

When asked if Democrats need to "tone down their rhetoric" following Monday's attack on Border Patrol agents, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt replied, "We certainly call on Democrats to tone down their rhetoric against ICE and Border Patrol agents who are, again, everyday men and women."

Leavitt called on Democrats to meet with Border Patrol agents.

"These are honorable Americans who are just simply trying to do their job to enforce the law," Leavitt said during the press briefing. "They go home to their families every night just like we all do, and they deserve respect and dignity for trying to enforce our nation's immigration laws and to remove public safety threats from our communities."

Monday's shooting at the Border Patrol sector annex comes only days after a local police officer was shot in the neck near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Alvarado, Texas.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that officers with the Alvarado Police Department were responding to a call regarding a "suspicious person" near the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Prairieland Detention Facility around 10:56 p.m. on July 4.

Officers located the suspicious individual, who they said appeared to be carrying a firearm.

"As the first responding officer attempted to engage the person, multiple suspects opened fire on the officer," the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office stated.

The suspects fled the crime scene, but officers from the Alvarado Police Department, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, and neighboring agencies took several armed suspects into custody.

Police said an officer was struck in the neck and was flown to the Harris Methodist Hospital Ft. Worth. The officer was treated and released, according to the statement.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said the motives of the suspects are "unclear" at this time.

Blaze News requested a comment from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and the Alvarado Police Department but had not received a response by the time of publication.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting is urged to contact the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office at (817) 790-0910.

As Blaze News reported last month, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, Oregon, had been attacked multiple times.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Saturday, "We are closely monitoring the attacks on DHS detention facilities in Prairieland, TX, and Portland, OR, and are coordinating with the USAOs and our law enforcement partners. The Department has zero tolerance for assaults on federal officers or property and will bring the full weight of the law against those responsible."

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated last week, "Our heroic ICE law enforcement officers are facing a nearly 700% increase in assaults against them. If you obstruct or assault our law enforcement, this administration will hunt you down and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

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Radical college lecturer charged after allegedly throwing projectile at Border Patrol in California pot farm clash

Border czar: Trump built the most secure border in American history

A border crisis by design

Nothing about Biden’s border was humane

Enforcing the law saves lives

Attacks on ICE, silence on missing children

The stakes

Indiana Governor Announces National Guard, State Police Boost To Federal Immigration Enforcement

U.S. Border Patrol Blocks Pro-America War Hero From Leading New Classical College

Nonprofits aided the invasion — now they obstruct deportation

Trump Has No Reason To Compromise With Democrats On Immigration

‘It’s Despicable’: Democrats Won’t Condemn Ambush Attacks On ICE

Gunman receives deadly comeuppance during ambush on Border Patrol agents — just days after officer shot near ICE facility

The Stop CARB Act: A bold move to rein in California’s control over emission rules

Bill Maher urges left to stop comparing Trump to Hitler

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Wokeness? My students are more worried about the economy

GLAAD Smears Charlie Kirk, Puts Target On Back Of Other Conservative Activists

A border crisis by design

Nothing about Biden’s border was humane

Enforcing the law saves lives

Attacks on ICE, silence on missing children

The stakes

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