Federal authorities charge California labor leader with impeding officer

Federal authorities on Monday charged David Huerta, the president of the Service Employees International Union California, in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to impede an officer tied to an immigration enforcement raid last week.

Huerta, 58, has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown L.A. since Friday and is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court on Monday afternoon. He is facing a felony charge that carries up to six years in federal prison, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in L.A.

California Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla sent a letter Monday to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice demanding a review of Huerta’s arrest.

Huerta was detained and injured while documenting a workplace immigration raid in downtown L.A. on Friday. He was treated at a hospital and transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center.

Labor leaders around the country have called for his release.

According to the criminal complaint, on June 5, U.S. Magistrate Judge Margo A. Rocconi authorized four search warrants for four business premises “suspected of unlawfully employing illegal aliens and falsifying employment records related to the status of its employees”.

In an affidavit filed with the federal complaint, a supervisory special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, whose name was redacted, said news quickly spread about “ICE raids” taking place throughout L.A.

According to the complaint, Huerta arrived at the scene before noon, joining several other protesters.

“The protesters, including HUERTA appeared to be communicating with each other in a concerted effort to disrupt the law enforcement operations,” the agent wrote.

The agent wrote that Huerta was yelling at and taunting officers and later sat cross-legged in front of the vehicle gate.

“In addition to sitting in front of the gate, HUERTA at various times stood up and paced in front of the gate, effectively preventing law enforcement vehicles from entering or exiting the premises through the gate to execute the search warrant,” the agent wrote in the affidavit. “As far as I was aware, this gate was the only location through which vehicles could enter or exit the premises.”

The agent wrote that they told Huerta if he kept blocking the gate, he would be arrested.

The agent wrote that Huerta responded that he couldn’t hear the agent through his mask. Huerta used a curse word, the agent wrote.

According to the complaint, as a white law enforcement van tried to get through the gate, Huerta stood in its path.

Because Huerta “was being uncooperative, the officers put his hands on HUERTA in an attempt to move him out of the path of the vehicle.”

“I saw HUERTA push back, and in response, the officer pushed HUERTA to the ground,” the agent wrote. “The officer and I then handcuffed HUERTA and arrested him.”

Huerta on Friday released a statement through his union, saying: “What happened to me is not about me; This is about something much bigger.

“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. We all collectively have to object to this madness because this is not justice. This is injustice. And we all have to stand on the right side of justice.”

Rally planned in downtown LA to demand release of SEIU President David Huerta following ICE raid

A rally is planned today in DTLA where civil rights and labor leaders will demand the release of union leader David Huerta from federal detention after he was arrested during an ICE raid.

A rally is planned today in DTLA where civil rights and labor leaders will demand the release of union leader David Huerta from federal detention after he was arrested during an ICE raid.

A rally is planned today in DTLA where civil rights and labor leaders will demand the release of union leader David Huerta from federal detention after he was arrested during an ICE raid.

A rally is planned today in DTLA where civil rights and labor leaders will demand the release of union leader David Huerta from federal detention after he was arrested during an ICE raid.

LOS ANGELES (CNS) — A rally is planned at noon Monday at Grand Park, downtown, where civil rights and labor leaders will demand the release of union leader David Huerta from federal detention after he was arrested during an immigration enforcement action. Huerta is due in court at the Roybal Federal Building at 1:30 p.m.

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.

Los Angeles police said they were not involved in any immigration enforcement operation in the area, but did respond to an assault with a deadly weapon report in the Westlake District about 9 a.m., but quickly cleared the scene after finding no evidence of an assault.

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.”

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.

Early Friday evening, Huerta issued a statement through the union saying, “What happened to me is not about me. This is about something much bigger. 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. We all collectively have to object to this madness because this is not justice. This is injustice. And we all have to stand on the right side of justice.”

Labor unions around the US are demanding the release of a labor leader arrested and injured during Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) raids on 6 June in Los Angeles.

David Huerta, president of SEIU California and SEIU-USWW, was serving as a community observer during an Ice raid in Los Angeles, and was arrested by federal agents over allegations of interfering.

He was initially hospitalized and released later on Friday for injuries sustained during the arrest. Videos circulating online show officers shoving Huerta to the ground during the arrest before handcuffing him. He is expected to make an initial court appearance on Monday afternoon.

“What happened to me is not about me; this is about something much bigger. This is about how we as a community stand together and resist the injustice that’s happening,” Huerta said in a statement after his release from the hospital. “Hard-working people, and members of our family and our community, are being treated like criminals. We all collectively have to object to this madness because this is not justice. This is injustice. And we all have to stand on the right side of justice.”

He has remained in custody, as labor leaders around the US are calling for his release and an end to the immigration enforcement raids and use of the national guard to suppress protests in Los Angeles. California has sued the Trump administration over its decision to federalize the national guard.

Huerta, well known among Democrats in California given his long record as a union leader in the state, received support from Governor Gavin Newsom and other Democratic officials across the US, including the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries.

“SEIU refuses to be silent in the face of these horrific attacks on working communities. Standing in solidarity as a movement of working people is not new to us,” said April Verrett, international president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). “SEIU protects the rights and dignity of hard-working people, and the safety of workers in the workplace. Imagine what it feels like for thousands of workers around the country to be attacked by masked men with weapons, or to bear witness to their co-workers getting dragged away, knowing their kids may not see them again. We demand David Huerta’s immediate release and an end to these abusive workplace raids.”

The union is leading or participating in rallies in cities across the US on Monday calling for Huerta’s release, for the California national guard to stand down and an end to the Ice raids in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Harrisburg, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Oregon, Raleigh-Durham, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC and St Paul, Minnesota, as local unions in other cities continue to organize additional rallies and protests.

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, the largest federation of labor unions in the US, has also called for Huerta’s release.

“As the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda has unnecessarily targeted our hard-working immigrant brothers and sisters, David was exercising his constitutional rights and conducting legal observation of Ice activity in his community,” Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, said in a statement. “The labor movement stands with David and we will continue to demand justice for our union brother until he is released.”

Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the largest public employee union in the US, also called for Huerta’s release.

“Americans have a constitutional right to free speech. That right was violated when Ice agents violently arrested and injured Huerta as he peacefully observed immigration enforcement activity in his community,” Saunders said. “Huerta was exercising his legal right to speak out and bear witness. In response, Ice used force, caused harm, and continues to hold him in unjust detention.”

Tensions in Los Angeles escalated Sunday as thousands of protesters took to the streets in response to President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard, blocking off a major freeway and setting self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bangs to control the crowd.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that his office intends to sue the Trump administration for deploying the Guard without consulting him, a move he called “illegal and immoral” in a social media post Sunday.

In another post Monday morning, Newsom said Mr. Trump “illegally acted to federalize the National Guard,” adding, “We’re suing him.”

Thirty-nine people were arrested over the weekend, said Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell at a news conference Sunday evening. Most were arrested Saturday, according to the police chief, who also addressed complaints accusing the police department of responding too slowly to the unrest.

“We can’t participate in any way in civil immigration enforcement,” McDonnell said.

He reminded reporters that police must comply with the California Values Act, a Los Angeles “sanctuary city” ordinance also known as SB 54, which prevents local and state law enforcement agencies from assisting federal immigration enforcement activity.

On Sunday, many protesters dispersed as evening fell and police declared an unlawful assembly, a precursor to officers moving in and arresting people who didn’t leave.

But some of those remaining threw objects at police from behind a makeshift barrier that spanned the width of a street and others hurled chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles parked on the closed southbound 101 Freeway. Officers ran under an overpass to take cover.

CBS News Los Angeles reported that several fires were set in dumpsters and trash bins and at least one store had windows shattered by alleged looters. Dozens of buildings were tagged with graffiti, including the LAPD Headquarters, the U.S. Courthouse and the old Los Angeles Times building.

Footage from the CBS News Los Angeles helicopter showed that multiple windows of the police headquarters had been shattered as well.

Police officers stand guard as smoke covers the area during a protest against federal immigration sweeps in downtown Los Angeles on June 8, 2025. Aude Guerrucci/Reuters

Separately, San Francisco police reported 60 arrests Sunday night. Police said people were taking part in “First Amendment activities” but then began committing crimes “ranging from assault to felony vandalism and causing property damage.” An unlawful assembly was declared but several people kept “engaging in illegal activity,” police said. Two officers were hurt, though the injuries weren’t life-threatening. Police said the demonstrators then vandalized buildings, a police cruiser and other property, and officers began arresting people who didn’t comply with the dispersal order.

L.A. demonstrations intensified

Sunday’s protests in Los Angeles, a sprawling city of 4 million people, were centered in several blocks of downtown. It was the third and most intense day of demonstrations against Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of around 300 Guard troops spurred anger and fear among many residents.

The Guard was deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the downtown detention center where protesters concentrated.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said officers were “overwhelmed” by the remaining protesters. He said they included regular agitators who show up at demonstrations to cause trouble.

Dozens of people were arrested throughout the weekend of the protest.

A California Highway Patrol officer pulls an electric scooter off a vehicle on a highway as protesters throw objects at police vehicles near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles on June 8, 2025. Ethan Swope/AP

Mr. Trump responded to McDonnell on Truth Social, telling him to arrest protesters in face masks.

“Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!” he wrote.

Starting in the morning, the troops stood shoulder to shoulder, carrying long guns and riot shields as protesters shouted “shame” and “go home.” After some closely approached the guard members, another set of uniformed officers advanced on the group, shooting smoke-filled canisters into the street.

Minutes later, the L.A. police fired rounds of crowd-control munitions to disperse the protesters, who they said were assembled unlawfully. Much of the group then moved to block traffic on the 101 Freeway until state patrol officers cleared them from the roadway by late afternoon.

Nearby, at least four self-driving Waymo cars were set on fire, sending large plumes of black smoke into the sky and exploding intermittently as the electric vehicles burned. By evening, police had issued an unlawful assembly order shutting down several blocks of downtown Los Angeles.

Flash-bangs echoed out every few seconds into the evening.

How the demonstrations started

The arrival of the National Guard followed two days of protests that began Friday in downtown Los Angeles before spreading on Saturday to Paramount, a heavily Latino city south of the city, and neighboring Compton.

Federal agents arrested immigrants in LA’s fashion district, in a Home Depot parking lot and at several other locations on Friday. The next day, they were staging at a Department of Homeland Security office near another Home Depot in Paramount, which drew out protesters who suspected another raid. Federal authorities later said there was no enforcement activity at that Home Depot.

The weeklong tally of immigrant arrests in the LA area climbed above 100, federal authorities said. Many more were arrested while protesting, including a prominent union leader who was accused of impeding law enforcement.

A woman waves the Mexican flag as flames erupt from a dumpster during a protest in downtown Los Angeles on June 8, 2025. Ethan Swope/AP

What are officials saying?

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom requested that Mr. Trump remove the guard members in a letter Sunday afternoon, calling their deployment a “serious breach of state sovereignty.” He was in Los Angeles meeting with local law enforcement and officials.

The deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state’s National Guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration’s mass deportation efforts.

Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass blamed the increasingly aggressive protests on the president’s decision to deploy the Guard, calling it a move designed to enflame tensions. They’ve both urged protesters to remain peaceful.

“What we’re seeing in Los Angeles is chaos that is provoked by the administration,” Bass said in an afternoon press conference. “This is about another agenda, this isn’t about public safety.”

But McDonnell, the LAPD chief, said the protests were following a similar pattern for episodes of civil unrest, with things ramping up in the second and third days.

He pushed back against claims by the Trump administration that the LAPD had failed to help federal authorities when protests broke out Friday after a series of immigration raids. His department responded as quickly as it could, and had not been notified in advance of the raids and therefore was not pre-positioned for protests, he said.

Newsom, meanwhile, has repeatedly said that California authorities had the situation under control. He mocked Mr. Trump for posting a congratulatory message to the Guard on social media before troops had even arrived in Los Angeles, and said on MSNBC that Mr. Trump never floated deploying the Guard during a Friday phone call. He called the president a “stone-cold liar.”

The admonishments didn’t deter the administration.

“It’s a bald-faced lie for Newsom to claim there was no problem in Los Angeles before President Trump got involved,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a social media post that if the violence continues, he would mobilize “active duty Marines” from Camp Pendleton in San Diego County. He said the Marines were already on “high alert.”

When asked what the threshold is for sending in the Marines, Mr. Trump said Sunday: “The bar is what I think it is.”

Democratic California Rep. Maxine Waters on Sunday strongly rebuked the president’s decision to deploy the National Guard, calling the situation “outrageous” and “horrible” and adding that she believes Mr. Trump is using L.A., a sanctuary city, as an example.

“He’s using deportation as a way to enhance his position with all those right-wingers out there who do not want this country to be a country of people coming from other places,” the Democrat told a reporter outside the Metropolitan Detention Center. “I think he’s up to creating martial law.”

Former Vice President Kamala Harris also condemned the Trump administration’s actions in L.A. on Sunday, calling the deployment of the National Guard “a dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos.”

“In addition to the recent ICE raids in Southern California and across our nation, it is part of the Trump Administration’s cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division,” said Harris, who also previously served as a senator and attorney general of California. “This Administration’s actions are not about public safety — they’re about stoking fear. Fear of a community demanding dignity and due process.”

Some perspective on the protests

The protests didn’t reach the size of past demonstrations that brought the National Guard to Los Angeles, including the Watts and Rodney King riots, and the 2020 protests against police violence, in which Newsom requested the assistance of federal troops.

The last time the National Guard was activated without a governor’s permission was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march in Alabama, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

and contributed to this report.