David Huerta, the 58-year-old president of a statewide janitor’s union and of the Service Employees International Union California, was arrested by federal agents Friday outside a Los Angeles garment warehouse where protesters gathered to watch and oppose an apparent workplace immigration raid.
“No one should ever be harmed for witnessing government action.” At SEIU California, Huerta, who remains in federal custody, leads a union with nearly 750,000 members that is a heavyweight in statewide politics.
“Everyone knows him,” said Lorena Gonzalez, leader of the California Labor Federation, a politically powerful statewide group of unions.
As leader of the SEIU United Service Workers West, which represents janitors and security guards across California, he’s emphasized English classes and citizenship for members.
Federal authorities accuse Huerta of obstructing agents, though the circumstances of his arrest remain blurry.
After being accused of obstructing ICE officers, SEIU leader David Huerta was released.
Because of his years of activism both inside and outside of the Capitol, California’s Democratic leadership is familiar with the union leader federal agents who were arrested at an immigration protest in Los Angeles last week.
This explains why so many prominent Democrats rushed to his support.
Outside a clothing warehouse in Los Angeles, where demonstrators had gathered to watch and oppose an apparent workplace immigration raid, federal agents arrested David Huerta, 58, the president of the Service Employees International Union California and a statewide janitor’s union. Since then, he has been accused of conspiring to obstruct an officer involved in last week’s ICE raid. ().
He was arrested, and the condemnations came in fast.
“A respected leader, patriot, and supporter of working people is David Huerta.”.
Gov. “In a statement, Gavin Newsom stated.”. The mere act of observing government action should never cause harm to anyone. “”.
Huerta, still in federal custody, is the head of SEIU California, a union with almost 750,000 members and a significant political force in the state. It encompasses a broad spectrum of workers, including janitors, public sector employees, nurses, and university researchers.
It is a significant contributor to Democratic candidates; for some legislators, an endorsement bearing its purple emblem is a mark of honor. One of the union’s most recent wins is a $25 minimum wage for all healthcare facility employees.
“Everyone knows him,” said Lorena Gonzalez, head of the California Labor Federation, a statewide union organization with significant political clout. Huerta also serves as the federation’s board vice president. He has been with the movement for a very long time. When we sounded the alarm, everyone got to their feet. “.”.
Huerta has a U. S. civic-minded individual. He has stated that his father was a member of the Teamsters union and that his grandparents emigrated from Mexico to work in the fields. He has led historic wage strikes in Los Angeles, organized janitors as early as the 1990s, and been active in immigration politics for an equal amount of time.
Huerta demanded reforms that would enable more workers to obtain their documents when federal agents, then employed by the now-defunct Immigration and Naturalization Service, raided California’s airports in a post-9/11 crackdown on illegally employed immigrant baggage handlers and janitors.
In his capacity as head of SEIU United Service Workers West, which advocates for security guards and janitors throughout California, he has placed a strong emphasis on citizenship and English language instruction for its members. For janitors who frequently experience sexual assault while working alone during the night shift, his union was successful in its 2016 campaign to have the state enact training and more robust harassment protections.
Mike McGuire, Senate President Pro Tem, denounced the “fascist tactics” used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “U.”. A. It was described as “part of a larger campaign of intimidation by the White House” by Senator Adam Schiff. “”.
By Saturday morning, Democratic leaders in Congress from all over the nation were denouncing the raids and demanding that Huerta be freed.
Although the details of his arrest are still unclear, federal authorities accuse Huerta of obstructing agents. Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, a Democrat from Culver City, shared a video on social media on Friday that seems to show police officers wearing vests shoving Huerta to the ground while protesters nearby yell.
U.S. Senator Bill Essayli. S. . On social media, a Los Angeles lawyer claimed that Huerta had “deliberately obstructed” federal agents with a court order by blocking their vehicle. The warrant was not disclosed by Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesman for Essayli’s office, who stated that the agents were “targeting employers and businesses believed to not be in compliance with federal immigration laws.”. “.”.
Charged with obstructing a federal agent, the union leader is being held at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles and is expected to make his initial appearance Monday afternoon.
When Huerta was hospitalized for injuries sustained during the arrest on Friday, SEIU California issued a statement saying, “Hard-working people, and members of our family and our community, are being treated like criminals.”. Since this is not fair, we must all work together to protest this insanity. “.”.
To demand his release, the union is organizing a demonstration for Monday.
“A lot of immigrant women are part of the union he represents,” Gonzalez stated. He is a steadfast and dependable advocate for foreign laborers, and he has led the charge in the fight against deportations and workplace raids as well as for a route to citizenship. “.”.
An immigration raid was also reported at Ambiance’s storefront in downtown LA’s garment district, and workers’ advocates and other protesters had gathered to watch federal agents at Ambiance Apparel, the warehouse where Huerta was arrested on Friday.
According to ICE, it arrested 44 foreign nationals who were in the United States that day after serving four search warrants. S. while conducting worksite raids, without permission.
