CAMARILLO, CA — The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) today celebrates the judge’s order to release Professor Jonathan A. Caravello, Ph.D., a faculty member at California State University Channel Islands and member of the California Faculty Association and U.S. Citizen, following his unjust detainment by federal officials. Professor Caravello was arrested on Thursday, July 10 at a green house farm near Camarillo as he was exercising his constitutional right to free speech against a military-style ICE raid and immigration enforcement terrorizing his community.

“The arrest of Professor Caravello was an outrageous abuse of power and an attack on basic freedoms. He never should have been detained in the first place,” said Rocío Sáenz, Executive Vice President of SEIU. “His release is a step toward justice, but thousands of working people remain unjustly held. SEIU stands with CFA and all those who believe in the right to speak out without fear of retaliation. We will not rest until all workers, no matter where they come from, are free, safe, and respected.”

Professor Caravello’s arrest underscores an alarming pattern of racial profiling and retaliation against union members and community leaders for speaking out against the use of the military in immigration enforcement and ICE raids in communities across the country. Last month, David Huerta, president of SEIU California and SEIU-USWW, was arrested while asserting his First Amendment rights in Los Angeles. SEIU demands an end to politically motivated arrests and full protections of constitutional rights for immigrant and non-immigrant workers alike.

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