The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is holding rallies across the U.S. demanding the release of California SEIU President David Huerta from the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. Huerta, a US citizen, was documenting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in Downtown LA’s Warehouse District on Friday, June 6 when federal officers tackled him, injuring him in his head, and arrested him. Huerta was treated in the hospital before being released into federal custody. As of 2:37 Pacific time, Huerta was released from LA’s federal building.

Unicorn Riot is live from an SEIU rally demanding his release in Philadelphia, PA:

Let’s be clear: ICE injured and detained the president of SEIU California for peacefully observing.

ICE picked the wrong side. The wrong state. The wrong person. and the wrong union. David Huerta stood up. And 750,000 SEIU workers are standing with him.https://t.co/WYzt2Bv38I

— SEIU California (@seiucalifornia) June 6, 2025

You don’t need to be in LA to peacefully protest. Rapid response rallies are happening across the nation to demand David Huerta’s release and an end to ICE raids.https://t.co/jouTkc1q5M#FreeDavidHuerta #FreeThemALL

— SEIU California (@seiucalifornia) June 8, 2025

Mounting outrage against Huerta’s arrest comes against the backdrop of widespread civil unrest in Los Angeles as resistance to ICE raids – being met with police brutality from federal, state and local agencies, despite rhetoric from Democratic politicians – escalates into what may be a large popular uprising in the United States.

The AFL-CIO published the following statement demanding Huerta’s release:

“The nearly 15 million working people of the AFL-CIO and our affiliated unions demand the immediate release of California Federation of Labor Unions Vice President and SEIU California and SEIU-USWW President David Huerta. 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. He was doing what he has always done, and what we do in unions: putting solidarity into practice and defending our fellow workers. In response, ICE agents violently arrested him, physically injuring David in the process, and are continuing to detain him—a violation of David’s civil liberties and the freedoms this country holds dear. The labor movement stands with David and we will continue to demand justice for our union brother until he is released.”

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