A California union leader faces a federal charge following his arrest Friday during an immigration enforcement operation in Los Angeles.
Service Employees International Union California (SEIU) leader David Huerta, 58, was federally charged with felony conspiracy to impede an officers, according to court documents. The crime carries a maximum penalty of up to six years in federal prison.
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Huerta was released on $50,000 bond Monday after his initial court appearance. Arraignment was scheduled for July 7.
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Huerta was arrested Friday as federal agents executed search warrants at businesses suspected of employing undocumented immigrants and falsifying employment records, according to the criminal complaint. Several protesters responded to the worksite, including Huerta.
Huerta "deliberately obstructed" agents' access to the worksite by blocking their vehicle, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The union leader and another person sat down in front an the business' only vehicle entrance gate, according to the complaint.
Huerta was confronted by a law enforcement officer who tried to move him out of the way and, when he refused to move, pushed him to the ground and took him into custody, the complaint said.
Huerta issued a statement following his arrest.
"What happened to me is not about me. This is about something much bigger," Huerta said. "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."
Friday's immigration enforcement operations led to dozens of arrests in the Los Angeles area, according to a Homeland Security official.
"Today, ICE officers and agents alongside partner law enforcement agencies, executed four federal search warrants at three location in central Los Angeles. Approximately 44 people were administratively arrested and one arrest for obstruction. The investigation remains ongoing, updates will follow as appropriate," said HSI spokesperson, Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe.
At noon Monday, civil rights leaders planned to rally in Grand Park with supporters to demand Huerta's release.
Friday's operation and other recent immigration enforcement operations were followed by demonstrations in Los Angeles. Dozens of people were arrested over the weekend in connection with violence that broke out in downtown Los Angeles following protests, including one outside the federal detention center Sunday.
