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We at SEIU 721 joined our fellow LA-area labor unions, our allies in the local clergy, and our fellow activists in the immigration justice movement today to demand the release of SEIU California’s David Huerta from federal custody. He was unjustly arrested by ICE agents last week while standing up for immigrants’ rights.
Grand Park in downtown LA was packed with people between the Hall of Administration and the LA Superior Court – all determined to free David Huerta and get ICE out of LA. It was a lively yet peaceful rally that demonstrated what free assembly and non-violent protest are all about.
Speakers included plenty of us from the SEIU family – including SEIU 721 Vice President Simboa Wright, SEIU President April Verrett, Christian Ramirez of SEIU USWW and representatives from SEIU 99, SEIU 2015, SEIU 521, SEIU 221, SEIU UHW, SEIU-CIR, SEIU-CFA and CSUEU. Rally attendees also heard from Yvonne Wheeler of the LA County Federation of Labor; Dolores Huerta of the UFW; Pastor Cue-Jn-Marie; Rev. Heidi Gamble; as well as representatives from the NAACP, CHIRLA, the National Day Labor Worker Center, CARECEN, CLEAN Car Wash, the ILWU, Unite-HERE, UTLA, AFSCME, the WGA, IATSE, the UFCW and more.
Just hours after the big rally, we heard the good news: David Huerta was released from custody on a $50,000 bond, and he is now reunited with his family.
Make no mistake: David Huerta is a powerhouse. He is a labor champion who has dedicated his life to fighting for hard-working people throughout California and beyond.
All of us were proud to rally in support of David’s release today. Our next step is to demand that the Trump regime immediately drop all charges against him.
David is free for now. But our fight is not over. We demand an end to these cruel, destructive and indiscriminate ICE raids that are tearing apart our communities, disrupting our economy, and hurting working people.
Never forget: A core tenet of the Labor Movement is the belief that hard-working people stand up for one another. That is exactly what David was doing when he was unjustly and violently detained.
The outrageous charges against David are a direct assault on all of us who believe in the fundamental American right to stand up for justice and to defend the rights of workers. We can never allow these rights to be criminalized.
David’s case also reminds us that the American right of due process is no small matter. It is fundamental. We must fight to protect it – just as we must fight for an immediate end to ICE raids and to due process for anyone currently in federal detention because of them.
Right now, the focus is understandably on the Trump regime’s attacks on workers through its unleashing of ICE agents in our local communities. But make no mistake: The Trump regime has labor unions in the crosshairs, too. The attack on David Huerta – a respected labor leader putting his body on the line to defend the rights of all workers – symbolizes this fact perfectly. That’s why it is so vital that we stand up for one another. Our futures are intertwined. We are in this together – and, together, we win.
To view more images from the Free David Huerta Rally, visit our Flickr page. You can also view more content from this event and more via Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X (formerly known as Twitter).