The arrest of a high-profile union leader during ICE protests last week has prompted an outcry across labor organizations across the U.S., and could mark the beginning of a new escalation between organized labor and President Donald Trump in the war over immigration.
David Huerta, the president of the Service Employees International Union of California (SEIU), was taken to the hospital on Friday where he was treated for injuries sustained during his arrest by ICE, according to a statement from the SEIU. He was released from federal custody on Monday, on a $50,000 bond, and charged with conspiracy to impede an officer. If convicted, he could face six years in prison.
The SEIU did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
Huerta’s arrest took place during protests against ICE, when demonstrators in Los Angeles took to the streets to protest the immigration raids of garment workers. The Trump administration has long promised lofty deportation goals, and has set a quota in May of arresting 3,000 immigrants a day. The ICE raids in California are part of that new push. In response to the protests, President Donald Trump has ordered up to 4,000 National Guard troops and another 700 Marines to the city, over the objections of state officials. California has sued over the move, saying it violates state sovereignty.
Huerta’s arrest has prompted several unions across the U.S. to condemn the administration’s actions, and may prove to be a turning point in the relationship between organized labor and the Trump administration. In his campaign last year, the president made inroads when it came to winning the support of union members, if not the unions themselves, and major unions like the Brotherhood of Teamsters chose not to endorse any candidate. But the actions of ICE in Los Angeles, and Huerta’s arrest, have prompted an outpouring of fury from organized labor.
SEIU president April Verrett released a statement after Huerta’s release on June 9, condemning his arrest by ICE, the immigration crackdown in Los Angeles, and Trump’s decision to send in the National Guard. “[T]his struggle is about much more than just one man. Thousands of workers remain unjustly detained and separated from their families,” she wrote. “At this very moment, immigrant communities are being terrorized by heavily militarized armed forces. The Trump regime calling in the National Guard is a dangerous escalation to target people who disagree with them. It is a threat to our democracy.”
The AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the country, wrote in a statement on June 7: “As the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda has unnecessarily targeted our hardworking immigrant brothers and sisters, David was exercising his constitutional rights and conducting legal observation of ICE activity in his community.”
After Huerta’s arrest, the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees wrote on June 8: “This is yet another example of the reckless and dangerous way deportations are being carried out, targeting hardworking community members. They are now trying to silence union leaders who dare to speak up.”
Several California unions came out in support of Huerta, including the California Teachers Association and SAG-AFTRA.
Huerta’s arrest and the ICE raids in Los Angeles have also ignited counterdemonstrations across the country over the past few days. “Make no mistake, history is being written right now,” said Abel Fuaau, a district representative for the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 39, at a rally in San Francisco on Monday, KQED reported. “And as the old union hymn goes, which side are you on? Who are you with?”
At another rally in New York City, Manny Pastreich, president of SEIU’s 32BJ chapter, told the assembled crowd on June 9: “We must fight back. We reject these attacks on our communities and demand the immediate release of our union brother David Huerta.”
