Service Employees International Union California President David Huerta was injured and subsequently detained while documenting an immigration enforcement raid in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. This incident has led to widespread protests and demands for his release, as labor union officials report on the events surrounding his arrest.
At 58 years old, Huerta was initially treated at a local hospital before being transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown L.A. By 5:30 p.m., he remained in custody, according to a union spokesperson. Protesters took to the streets, spray-painting the detention center with messages such as “F— ICE,” “Burn Prisons,” and “Abolish ICE.” Huerta, in a statement released from the hospital, emphasized the broader implications of his detention: “What happened to me is not about me; this is about something much bigger.” He continued, “This is about how we as a community stand together and resist the injustice that’s happening. Hard-working people, and members of our family and our community, are being treated like criminals.”
The labor union asserted that Huerta was detained while exercising his First Amendment right to observe and document law enforcement activities. However, federal authorities claim that Huerta obstructed federal agents by blocking their vehicle while they executed a warrant. According to Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe, a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations, agents executed four search warrants across Los Angeles related to the suspected harboring of undocumented individuals.
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli made a firm statement on X, emphasizing that anyone who interferes with federal agents will face arrest and prosecution. “Let me be clear: I don’t care who you are — if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted,” he stated. Similarly, Harmeet Dhillon, the U.S. assistant attorney general for civil rights, noted that there is no First Amendment right to physically obstruct law enforcement officers executing a valid warrant.
The arrest of Huerta has drawn significant criticism from elected officials across various levels of government in Los Angeles. L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn condemned Huerta's detention, calling it wrongful and asserting that “this is a democracy.” California Governor Gavin Newsom characterized Huerta as a “respected leader, patriot and advocate for working people,” stating, “No one should ever be harmed for witnessing government action.”
Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that Huerta was “violently thrown to the ground” by ICE agents. McGuire called for Huerta’s immediate release, declaring, “We are better than this, and every American should be alarmed.” As the situation unfolded, it was reported that 44 additional individuals were administratively arrested during the immigration enforcement actions.
In response to Huerta's detention, hundreds rallied outside the Los Angeles Federal Building, demanding his release and condemning the immigration raids. By 6:30 p.m., over 100 protesters had gathered outside an immigration services building and detention center, many wearing T-shirts proclaiming “ICE out of L.A.” One resident, 65-year-old Mandy Bell from Koreatown, expressed her determination to join the protests, stating, “Immigrants are not the enemy.”
As tensions escalated, the Los Angeles Police Department declared the assembly unlawful and ordered the crowd to disperse around 7 p.m. Shortly thereafter, police vehicles and officers in riot gear moved in on protesters, resulting in confrontations. One protester voiced the collective fear of the community, stating, “We’re out here because people are living in fear right now.”
The ongoing situation surrounding David Huerta's detention illustrates the complex and often contentious relationship between immigrant communities and federal enforcement agencies, raising critical questions about civil rights, community safety, and the right to protest.
