This post contains excerpts of an article originally published by Truthout.
California union leader David Huerta has been released from federal custody after his arrest by federal immigration agents sparked an outcry from labor and other advocates across the country amid President Donald Trump’s rogue, militarized raid of Los Angeles.
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California President David Huerta was arrested on Friday while protesting an immigration raid in LA. He was released on a $50,000 bond, and has been charged with obstructing law enforcement — a charge that could lead to a sentence of up to six years in federal prison, if he’s convicted.
Huerta’s arrest has been widely condemned by Democratic leaders, labor advocates, and immigrants’ rights groups, who say that Trump’s crackdown is a show of accelerating authoritarianism and a major erosion of free speech rights.
“David Huerta was arrested while standing up for immigrants’ rights. Today, a judge set him free after federal authorities attacked, injured, and unjustly detained him since Friday,” said SEIU President April Verrett in a statement demanding the release of everyone “unjustly detained” amid the protests.
“But this struggle is about much more than just one man,” Verrett went on. “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 Trump regime calling in the National Guard is a dangerous escalation to target people who disagree with them. It is a threat to our democracy.”
Huerta was one of dozens arrested while protesting immigration authorities’ raids of numerous retail stores in LA. Federal agents have claimed that Huerta blocked access to one of these workplaces that was supposedly suspected of employing undocumented workers. A law enforcement officer had reportedly physically tried to remove Huerta from where he was protesting, the officer has said, and then pushed Huerta on the ground after the labor leader reportedly pushed back.
Chaotic video footage reportedly showing the incident shows masked immigration officers seemingly indiscriminately shoving and grabbing anyone standing near or in front of a police car attempting to enter a gate. Huerta’s head appears to have landed on a concrete curb. SEIU has said that Huerta was arrested during the raid.
Labor advocates have raised alarm about the dangerous implications of union leaders being targeted in particular.
“Be warned: attacking unions is a hallmark of fascism,” said former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich.
Democratic leaders also condemned the arrest.
In a letter written by California’s senators and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (New York), lawmakers expressed “grave concerns” over Huerta’s arrest.
“It is deeply troubling that a U.S. citizen, union leader, and upstanding member of the Los Angeles community continues to be detained by the federal government for exercising his rights to observe immigration enforcement,” the lawmakers wrote.
Huerta’s release on bond comes as the Trump administration is escalating its raid on LA in response to mass protests, with the administration sending another 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 U.S. Marines to the area after days of violence from law enforcement officers.
Another concerning target of the crackdowns is journalists, numerous of whom have been injured by law enforcement officers while simply reporting on the raids. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, dozens of journalists have been assaulted or obstructed while covering the raids. At least one journalist had to receive emergency surgery after police struck him with a plastic bullet while he was clearly identified as a journalist.
In another incident, a video of an Australian journalist reporting live on airshowed a police officer aiming and shooting at the reporter, striking her leg with a rubber bullet at close range.
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