SEIU President David Huerta released from custody on $50k bond following arrest during ICE raid
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The arrest of a labor leader has become a rallying cry for immigrant advocates across the country who called for his release and an end to President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
David Huerta, the 58-year-old president of Service Employees International Union California, was arrested Friday while protesting outside a business where federal law enforcement agents were investigating suspected immigration violations, authorities said. He was released from federal custody Monday on a $50,000 bond after a hearing in federal court in Los Angeles.
This comes after hundreds if not thousands of people gathered for a rally at Gloria Molina Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles, where civil rights and labor leaders demanded the release of Huerta from federal detention.
The rally was scheduled for noon, but the large crowd was already growing at 11 a.m. Many demonstrators had flags and signs.
Huerta, a long-time labor leader born and raised in Los Angeles County, has become the face of the pushback against Trump's effort to drive up immigration arrests. His case has also drawn attention to the longstanding ties between Democratic officials and the union that represents hundreds of thousands of janitors, security officers and other workers across California.
"What happened to me is not about me; This is about something much bigger," Huerta said in a statement posted shortly after his arrest on the union's website. "We all collectively have to object to this madness because this is not justice."
Huerta was arrested while law enforcement officers were executing a federal search warrant at a Los Angeles business suspected of hiring illegal immigrants and falsifying employment papers, a special agent for Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, wrote in a federal court filing.
A crowd of people including Huerta gathered outside the business yelling at the officers. Huerta sat down in front of a vehicular gate and encouraged others to walk in circles to try to prevent law enforcement from going in or out, the agent wrote, adding it was clear "he and the others had planned in advance of arrival to disrupt the operation."
A law enforcement officer approached Huerta and told him to leave, then put his hands on Huerta to move him out of the way of a vehicle, the agent wrote. Huerta pushed back and the officer pushed Huerta to the ground and arrested him, according to the filing.
"Let me be clear: I don't care who you are-if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted," Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles, said in a post on X. "No one has the right to assault, obstruct, or interfere with federal authorities carrying out their duties."
Federal agents took an unknown number of people -- presumably suspected immigration law violators -- into custody Friday at multiple locations near downtown Los Angeles, sparking impromptu gatherings of protesters who clashed with authorities at several scenes.
On Friday morning, agents from what appeared to be multiple federal law enforcement agencies could be seen escorting men in handcuffs into vehicles outside a Home Depot at 1675 Wilshire Blvd. in the Westlake District.
People often gather at such stores looking for temporary work, and agents may have taken the opportunity to confront them in accordance with President Donald Trump's unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration. He has vowed to wage the most extensive deportation effort in U.S. history.
Later Friday morning, another raid took place at an Ambiance clothing store along Towne Avenue in the Fashion District near downtown Los Angeles. A crowd of people and some protesters gathered outside the store as the operation was being carried out, most of them taking photos or videos with cell phones. Several people wearing FBI vests were seen standing by outside the store.
In response to a query from City News Service, an FBI spokeswoman said specific details about immigration operations and arrests must come from Homeland Security Investigations as the lead agency, but she offered the following statement on the FBI's posture regarding immigration arrests:
"The FBI is supporting our partners at the Department of Homeland Security in their immigration operations all over the country, as directed by the Attorney General. The FBI is accustomed to providing investigative and technical assistance to our federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners on a regular basis.
"As we have been asked to do, we are sending agents to participate in these immigration enforcement efforts. That includes assisting in cities where major operations are already underway and where we have special agents embedded on operational teams with DHS. Our help may vary depending on what DHS needs, such as SWAT operators, who can support high risk arrest operations, and other resources such as intelligence analysts and technical support working from command posts."
The Service Employees International Union California issued a statement saying Huerta, the union's president, was injured and detained during the immigration actions.
"SEIU California members call for the immediate release of our president, David Huerta, who was injured and detained at the site of one of today's ICE raids in Los Angeles," the union's executive director, Tia Orr, said in a statement Friday. "He is now receiving medical attention while in custody. We are proud of President Huerta's righteous participation as a community observer, in keeping with his long history of advocating for immigrant workers and with the highest values of our movement: standing up to injustice, regardless of personal risk or the power of those perpetrating it."
Huerta, a U.S. citizen, is charged with interfering with federal agents.
"What happened to David Huerta is concerning, should be concerning to all of us. We've seen this administration act without regard to our constitutional rights, which is what we've been doing out in the streets, raising our voices in a peaceful manner. We believe that it's a concern when you have federal agents that act without regard to those rights," said Luis Fuentes, the SEIU USWW Regional Vice President.
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Los Angeles, said in a statement that Huerta was arrested at the Roybal Federal Building downtown.
"Huerta was Tased and brutalized for attempting to visit his union members -- asylum applicants going through the immigration process legally who have been unjustly, indefinitely detained and are being held in inhumane conditions," Kamlager-Dove said.
U.S. Senators sent a letter to top Trump officials on Monday, demanding answers regarding Huerta's arrest and detention, saying the labor leader was injured, arrested, and detained by federal officials in Downtown L.A. while exercising his lawful right to observe the conduct of immigration enforcement personnel on Friday.
City News Service and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
