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Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who is David Huerta, the California labor leader who was arrested in Los Angeles?
A revered California labor leader arrested for his involvement in protests decrying immigration raids in Los Angeles is out on bond, after demonstrators came out nationwide Monday to demand his release. David Huerta, the president of the Service Employees International Union California, was arrested Friday as he protested an immigration raid in Los Angeles. After three nights of detention, Huerta was released on a $50,000 bond Monday afternoon, though he remains charged with conspiracy to impede an officer, a felony that could result in up to six years in prison, according to the US Attorney's Office. A well-known figure in the California labor movement, Huerta started his career mobilizing immigrant janitors in Los Angeles to demand better working conditions as part of a 1990s campaign called Justice for Janitors, according to a UNI Global Union statement. He was once praised by former President Barack Obama's administration for his efforts to advocate for immigrant workers. 'As a labor leader, David has worked to build an immigrant integration program that includes English classes for union members. Under his leadership, hundreds of SEIU-USWW members have become U.S. citizens. In addition, he has advocated for comprehensive immigration reform by empowering SEIU-USWW members to become their own advocates for change,' an archived White House post from the Obama administration reads. Huerta's union has described him as 'a father, a union leader, and a fighter for immigrant justice.' Supporters in California rallied around Huerta when he was released from custody Monday afternoon, chanting 'Si se puede.' Speaking outside the courthouse after his release, Huerta said authorities are trying to make an example out of him, cautioning that while he was released on bond, other detainees are still locked up, with some allegedly unable to see their lawyers or attend critical court hearings. 'We will have our time for justice, but we must do it in a way that we demonstrate the power of working people across this country and stand united,' Huerta told the crowd. After Huerta was released Monday, his union released a statement: 'We are relieved that David is free and reunited with his family and we are deeply grateful to the hundreds of elected officials, civil rights leaders, labor partners and allies from across the nation who stood in solidarity and demanded David's release,' Service Employees International Union President April Verrett said. 'But this struggle is about much more than just one man,' Verrett continued. 'Thousands of workers remain unjustly detained and separated from their families. At this very moment, immigrant communities are being terrorized by heavily militarized armed forces.' The national union boasts about 2 million members in healthcare, the public sector and property services, with more than 700,000 workers represented throughout California. After Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials began performing targeted raids and arresting community members in the Los Angeles area last week, protestors came out in numbers to voice their objections. Huerta was among the demonstrators gathered in Los Angeles Friday at a business prosecutors say was suspected of unlawful employment and falsifying employment records. Prosecutors have accused Huerta of blocking access to a gate while law enforcement attempted to execute a search warrant and refusing to leave when asked, saying multiple times, 'it's a public sidewalk.' When a law enforcement vehicle approached the scene and Huerta refused to step aside, an officer tried to physically move him, prosecutors said. When Huerta pushed back, the officer pushed him to the ground, handcuffed and arrested him. Video of the incident shows the tense moments around the arrest, Huerta face down on the ground as multiple masked ICE agents surround and try to detain him, with demonstrators loudly objecting. The union has described his treatment at the hands of the masked officials as 'assault.' Huerta was later hospitalized and treated for injuries sustained during the arrest, SEIU said in a statement. As President Donald Trump called in the National Guard to quell the protests in Southern California – against the guidance of the governor – lawmakers around the nation condemned Huerta's arrest. 'David Huerta is a respected leader, a patriot, and an advocate for working people. No one should ever be harmed for witnessing government action,' California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. US Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff of California, Alex Padilla of California and Chuck Schumer of New York wrote a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE and the Department of Justice Monday demanding a review of Huerta's arrest – including exactly how the labor leader was injured in the process. 'During a workplace enforcement action, Mr. Huerta, a well-known and deeply respected community leader, was exercising his lawful right to observe the conduct of immigration enforcement personnel,' the senators wrote. Schiff attended Huerta's initial appearance Monday, his team told CNN. Beyond Huerta's immediate release on bond, Democratic leaders are demanding the charge against him be dropped. 'House Democrats will stand with David Huerta for as long as it takes until the charges are dropped and the rogue federal actions that have been unleashed will be completely investigated and exposed,' House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement. 'Free Huerta now!' massive crowds in Los Angeles chanted Monday. Their demands were echoed around the nation, as demonstrators took to the streets in at least a dozen cities, including San Francisco, Boston, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Washington, DC, Charlotte, North Carolina, and parts of Connecticut and New York. Members of Huerta's union, along with other labor leaders and workers, held up signs reading, 'FREE DAVID' and 'END ICE RAIDS.' Union leaders across other industries voiced their support for Huerta's due process. 'We must fight back. We reject these attacks on our communities and demand the immediate release of our union brother David Huerta,' Manny Pastreich, president of the property service workers labor group 32BJ SEIU, said while speaking at the demonstration in New York. 'The United Farm Workers, along with the entire labor movement, stands in strong solidarity with our comrade, labor leader David Huerta. We demand his immediate release and condemn indiscriminate sweeps targeting working class immigrants,' the United Farm Workers union said on X. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees also chimed in: 'The apparent targeting of labor activists by federal authorities is unacceptable and dangerous,' the group said in a statement Monday. 'We stand united with David Huerta, immigrant workers, and all who seek justice.' And upon Huerta's release, the California Federation of Labor Unions said it was relieved to see its 'brother' out of custody and on bond. While many across the labor movement celebrated Huerta's release Monday, the focus has turned to the workers and family members still detained by immigration authorities. Huerta has thrown his support behind them. 'I know when we organize, we win,' he said Monday. CNN's Amanda Musa, Taylor Romine, Hannah Rabinowitz, Holmes Lybrand and Maureen Chowdhury contributed to this report.
CNN
10-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Who is David Huerta, the California labor leader who was arrested in Los Angeles?
Immigration Labor unionsFacebookTweetLink Follow A revered California labor leader arrested for his involvement in protests decrying immigration raids in Los Angeles is out on bond, after demonstrators came out nationwide Monday to demand his release. David Huerta, the president of the Service Employees International Union California, was arrested Friday as he protested an immigration raid in Los Angeles. After three nights of detention, Huerta was released on a $50,000 bond Monday afternoon, though he remains charged with conspiracy to impede an officer, a felony that could result in up to six years in prison, according to the US Attorney's Office. A well-known figure in the California labor movement, Huerta started his career mobilizing immigrant janitors in Los Angeles to demand better working conditions as part of a 1990s campaign called Justice for Janitors, according to a UNI Global Union statement. He was once praised by former President Barack Obama's administration for his efforts to advocate for immigrant workers. 'As a labor leader, David has worked to build an immigrant integration program that includes English classes for union members. Under his leadership, hundreds of SEIU-USWW members have become U.S. citizens. In addition, he has advocated for comprehensive immigration reform by empowering SEIU-USWW members to become their own advocates for change,' an archived White House post from the Obama administration reads. Huerta's union has described him as 'a father, a union leader, and a fighter for immigrant justice.' Supporters in California rallied around Huerta when he was released from custody Monday afternoon, chanting 'Si se puede.' Speaking outside the courthouse after his release, Huerta said authorities are trying to make an example out of him, cautioning that while he was released on bond, other detainees are still locked up, with some allegedly unable to see their lawyers or attend critical court hearings. 'We will have our time for justice, but we must do it in a way that we demonstrate the power of working people across this country and stand united,' Huerta told the crowd. After Huerta was released Monday, his union released a statement: 'We are relieved that David is free and reunited with his family and we are deeply grateful to the hundreds of elected officials, civil rights leaders, labor partners and allies from across the nation who stood in solidarity and demanded David's release,' Service Employees International Union President April Verrett said. 'But this struggle is about much more than just one man,' Verrett continued. 'Thousands of workers remain unjustly detained and separated from their families. At this very moment, immigrant communities are being terrorized by heavily militarized armed forces.' The national union boasts about 2 million members in healthcare, the public sector and property services, with more than 700,000 workers represented throughout California. After Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials began performing targeted raids and arresting community members in the Los Angeles area last week, protestors came out in numbers to voice their objections. Huerta was among the demonstrators gathered in Los Angeles Friday at a business prosecutors say was suspected of unlawful employment and falsifying employment records. Prosecutors have accused Huerta of blocking access to a gate while law enforcement attempted to execute a search warrant and refusing to leave when asked, saying multiple times, 'it's a public sidewalk.' When a law enforcement vehicle approached the scene and Huerta refused to step aside, an officer tried to physically move him, prosecutors said. When Huerta pushed back, the officer pushed him to the ground, handcuffed and arrested him. Video of the incident shows the tense moments around the arrest, Huerta face down on the ground as multiple masked ICE agents surround and try to detain him, with demonstrators loudly objecting. The union has described his treatment at the hands of the masked officials as 'assault.' Huerta was later hospitalized and treated for injuries sustained during the arrest, SEIU said in a statement. As President Donald Trump called in the National Guard to quell the protests in Southern California – against the guidance of the governor – lawmakers around the nation condemned Huerta's arrest. 'David Huerta is a respected leader, a patriot, and an advocate for working people. No one should ever be harmed for witnessing government action,' California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. US Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff of California, Alex Padilla of California and Chuck Schumer of New York wrote a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE and the Department of Justice Monday demanding a review of Huerta's arrest – including exactly how the labor leader was injured in the process. 'During a workplace enforcement action, Mr. Huerta, a well-known and deeply respected community leader, was exercising his lawful right to observe the conduct of immigration enforcement personnel,' the senators wrote. Schiff attended Huerta's initial appearance Monday, his team told CNN. Beyond Huerta's immediate release on bond, Democratic leaders are demanding the charge against him be dropped. 'House Democrats will stand with David Huerta for as long as it takes until the charges are dropped and the rogue federal actions that have been unleashed will be completely investigated and exposed,' House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement. 'Free Huerta now!' massive crowds in Los Angeles chanted Monday. Their demands were echoed around the nation, as demonstrators took to the streets in at least a dozen cities, including San Francisco, Boston, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Washington, DC, Charlotte, North Carolina, and parts of Connecticut and New York. Members of Huerta's union, along with other labor leaders and workers, held up signs reading, 'FREE DAVID' and 'END ICE RAIDS.' Union leaders across other industries voiced their support for Huerta's due process. 'We must fight back. We reject these attacks on our communities and demand the immediate release of our union brother David Huerta,' Manny Pastreich, president of the property service workers labor group 32BJ SEIU, said while speaking at the demonstration in New York. 'The United Farm Workers, along with the entire labor movement, stands in strong solidarity with our comrade, labor leader David Huerta. We demand his immediate release and condemn indiscriminate sweeps targeting working class immigrants,' the United Farm Workers union said on X. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees also chimed in: 'The apparent targeting of labor activists by federal authorities is unacceptable and dangerous,' the group said in a statement Monday. 'We stand united with David Huerta, immigrant workers, and all who seek justice.' And upon Huerta's release, the California Federation of Labor Unions said it was relieved to see its 'brother' out of custody and on bond. While many across the labor movement celebrated Huerta's release Monday, the focus has turned to the workers and family members still detained by immigration authorities. Huerta has thrown his support behind them. 'I know when we organize, we win,' he said Monday. CNN's Amanda Musa, Taylor Romine, Hannah Rabinowitz, Holmes Lybrand and Maureen Chowdhury contributed to this report.
Los Angeles Times
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
ICE arrested a California union leader. Does Trump understand what that means?
Unions in California are different from those in other places. More than any state in our troubled country, their ranks are filled with people of color and immigrants. While unions have always been tied closely with the struggles of civil rights, that has become even more pronounced in the years since George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis. In the subsequent national soul-searching, unions were forced to do a bit of their own. But where that conversation has largely broken down for general society under the pressure of President Trump's right-wing rage, it took hold inside of unions to a much greater degree — leading to more leadership from people of color, sometimes younger leadership and definitely an understanding from the rank and file that these are organizations that fight far beyond the workplace. Which is why the arrest of David Huerta, president of SEIU-USWW and SEIU California, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday is going to have a major impact on the coming months as deportations continue. 'They have woke us up,' Tia Orr told me Saturday morning. She's the executive director of the 700,000-strong Service Employees International Union California, of which Huerta is a part, and the first African American and Latina to lead the organization. 'And I think they've woke people up across the nation, certainly in California, and people are ready to get to action,' she added. 'I haven't seen that in a long time. I don't know that I've seen something like that before, and so yes, it is going to result in action that I believe is going to be historical.' While unions have voiced their disapproval of mass deportations since the MAGA threat first manifested, their might has not gone full force against them, taking instead a bit of a wait-and-see approach. Well, folks, we've seen. We've seen the unidentified masked men rounding up immigrants across the country and shipping them into life sentences at torturous foreign prisons; we've watched a 9-year-old Southern California boy separated from his father and detained for deportation; and Friday, across Los Angeles, we saw an anonymous military-style force of federal agents sweep up our neighbors, family members and friends in what seemed to be a haphazard and deliberately cruel way. And for those of you who have watched the video of Huerta's arrest, we've seen a middle-aged Latino man in a plaid button-down be roughly pushed by authorities in riot gear until he falls backward, and seems to strike his head on the curb. Huerta was, according to a television interview with Mayor Karen Bass, pepper-sprayed as well. Then he was taken to the hospital for treatment, then into custody, where he remains until a Monday arraignment. U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli wrote on social media that 'Federal agents were executing a lawful judicial warrant at a LA worksite this morning when David Huerta deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle. He was arrested for interfering with federal officers ... Let me be clear: I don't care who you are—if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted. No one has the right to assault, obstruct, or interfere with federal authorities carrying out their duties.' I have covered protests, violent and nonviolent, for more than two decades. In one of the first such events I covered, I watched an iconic union leader, Bill Camp, sit down in the middle of the road in a Santa suit and refuse to move. Police arrested him. But they managed to do it without violence, and without Camp's resistance. This is how unions do good trouble — without fear, without violence. Huerta understands the rules and power of peaceful protest better than most. The union he is president of — SEIU United Service Workers West — started the Justice for Janitors campaign in 1990, a bottom-up movement that in Los Angeles was mostly powered by the immigrant Latina women who cleaned commercial office space for wages as low as $7 an hour. After weeks of protests, police attacked those Latina workers in June of that year in what became known as the 'Battle of Century City.' Two dozen workers were injured but the union did not back down. Eventually, it won the contracts it was seeking, and equally as important, it won public support. Huerta joined USWW a few years after that incident, growing the Justice for Janitors campaign. The union was and has always been one powered by immigrant workers who saw that collective power was their best power, and Huerta has led decades of building that truth into a practical force. He is, says Orr, an organizer who knows how to bring people together. To say he is a beloved and respected leader in both the union and California in general is an understatement. You can still find his bio on the White House website, since he was honored as a 'Champion of Change,' by President Obama. Within hours of his arrest, political leaders across the state were voicing support. 'David Huerta is a respected leader, a patriot, and an advocate for working people. No one should ever be harmed for witnessing government action,' Gov. Gavin Newsom posted online. Perhaps more importantly, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, speaking for her 15 million members, issued a statement. Huerta 'was doing what he has always done, and what we do in unions: putting solidarity into practice and defending our fellow workers,' she said. 'The labor movement stands with David and we will continue to demand justice for our union brother until he is released.' Similar statements came from the Teamsters and other unions. Solidarity isn't a buzzword to unions. It's the bedrock of their power. In arresting Huerta, that solidarity has been supercharged. Already, union members from across the state are making plans to gather Monday for Huerta's arraignment in downtown Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Stephen Miller, the Santa Monica native and architect of Trump's deportation plans, has said the raids we are seeing now are just the beginning, and that he would like to see thousands of arrests every day, because our immigrant communities are filled with 'every kind of criminal thug that you can imagine on planet earth.' But in arresting Huerta, the battleground has been redrawn in ways we don't fully yet appreciate. No doubt, Miller will have his way and the raids will not only continue, but increase. But also, the unions are not going to back down. 'Right now, just in the last 14 hours, labor unions are joining together from far and wide, communities are reaching out in ways I've never seen,' Orr told me. 'Something is different.' Rosa Parks was just a woman on a bus, she pointed out, until she was something more. George Floyd was just another Black man stopped by police. Until he was something more. Huerta is the something more of these immigration raids — not because he's a union boss, but because he's a union organizer with ties to both people in power and people in fear. The coming months will show what happens when those two groups decide, together, that backing down is not an option.
