California State University Professor Charged With Assaulting ICE Agents

Last week (July 10), ICE agents raided a couple of marijuana farms (that’s right) in Camarillo, California, where over 350 illegal migrants were arrested, and at least 14 migrant children were discovered on the farms. As is normally the case in California,  the anti-ICE/Antifa types immediately showed up and attacked the agents. They called it a “peaceful protest”.

Campus Reform has the report here.

Also arrested was a California State University-Channel Islands professor named Jonathan Caravello, who was charged with picking up a police tear gas cannister and throwing it back at officers.

That has led to a storm of protests from the California Faculty Association, whoever they are. They maintain that Caravello has been “kidnapped”. They have even held a candlelight vigil for all those arrested.

The school that employs this character has issued a statement that it is their understanding that Caravello was engaged in a peaceful protest. 

Being in California, I can state that some of the local news reports only state that ICE raided agricultural sites or farms, while omitting that they were marijuana grow sites. California may turn a blind eye to these grow sites, but federal law considers them illegal, just as it considers marijuana to be illegal. If the feds choose to shut them down, that is their right. (It is true that in recent years, federal law enforcement has decided not to confront California on this issue, no doubt due to political influence in Washington.)

I want to point out that being an agricultural state, the overwhelming majority-with few exceptions, of those who pick our fruits and vegetables are Mexican citizens, many of them obviously illegal.( I do not know the percentage.) As I have said before, I would prefer to see ICE focusing on the criminal gangs, like Tren de Aragua and MS-13, convicted criminals, those who have been ordered deported, and suspected terrorists, rather than people from Mexico who are simply working. It is not just a humane consideration, but a practical one as well. Whether the number of people in the country illegally is 10 million or 20 million, ICE cannot round up and deport all of them. They must focus on the truly criminal ones. Therefore, I would not put farm workers high on the priority list.

But in this case, we are talking about a cannabis growing farm. Thus, I would give them no such break. In addition, if any farm is employing immigrant child labor, that is something we cannot ignore.  

It also goes without saying that attacks on ICE agents performing their constitutional duties is intolerable and must be met with prosecution. And there is no exemption for those who may be professors in our universities.