By Alicia A. Caldwell and Laura Curtis, Bloomberg
California labor leader David Huerta has been charged with a federal felony, accused of interfering with law enforcement after joining a protest against immigration arrest operations in Los Angeles that set off days of unrest.
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Huerta leads the Service Employees International Union’s United Service Workers West, which represents more than 45,000 workers including janitors, security officers and airport staff. He is also president of SEIU’s California chapter.
He was arrested Friday as a protest erupted during the start of a series of Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest operations in and around downtown Los Angeles. On Monday, federal prosecutors charged him with a single count of conspiracy to interfere with an officer, a felony punishable by as much as six years in prison. He was released from custody on a $50,000 bond, the Associated Press reported.
According to a charging document, US immigration authorities were serving four criminal search warrants at businesses suspected of employing immigrants who don’t have permission to work and falsifying employment records, when Huerta and others tried to block law enforcement vehicles.
US authorities allege Huerta coordinated with other protesters and repeatedly shouted expletives at officers and agents. At one point, he sat cross-legged in front of the gate yelling “everyone sit down, sit down” before later calling on demonstrators to “stop the vehicles,” according to the complaint.
The SEIU said “Huerta was assaulted, injured and detained while advocating for immigrant workers.” The union said he was taken to the hospital on Friday and then moved to federal detention.
The SEIU has decried Huerta’s arrest and a protest is underway in LA. The union said demonstrations are also being organized in more than a dozen cities around the country including San Francisco, Chicago, Washington and New York.
Huerta is a well-known labor leader in the state, and his work was lauded by the Obama administration. Democratic officials including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and California Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla have demanded a response from the Trump administration to questions about Huerta’s arrest.
US Representative Maxine Waters, a California Democrat, said she attempted to visit Huerta on Sunday and was denied entry. A video captured by CNN showed a door being shut in her face.
National labor unions representing millions of workers are also rallying behind Huerta.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which represents 44,000 workers up and down the West Coast, called for his release and “an end to destructive ICE raids.” The AFL-CIO, whose affiliates represent represent almost 15 million workers, also called for Huerta’s release.
ICE officials and the Department of Homeland Security have repeatedly threatened to arrest anyone who they believe is interfering with immigration enforcement. In multiple social media posts the agency has repeatedly posted warnings to “think before you react” and advised that “tempers may flare, but violence has consequences.”
–With assistance from Josh Eidelson.
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