Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, LABOR NEWS—SEIU California president injured during arrest while observing ICE raid, (Jun 9, 2025)

By Brandi O. Brown, J.D.

“What happened to me is not about me; This is about something much bigger.... Hard-working people, and members of our family and our community, are being treated like criminals.”

On Friday, David Huerta, President of SEIU California and SEIU-United Service Workers West was injured and detained during an ICE raid in Los Angeles while observing and documenting law enforcement activity. He remained in custody as of that evening, although he was released from the hospital.

He stated: “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.”

Tia Orr, the Executive Director of SEIU California, praised his actions, called for his immediate release. Orr also called for an end to the raids, explaining, “Immigrant workers are essential to our society: feeding our nation, caring for our elders, cleaning our workplaces, and building our homes.”

Lawful civil disobedience. SEIU 503 leadership also issued a statement condemning the treatment of Huerta as well, explaining:

“President Huerta has long championed immigrant rights, civil liberties, and economic justice. His arrest during a lawful act of civil disobedience is an attack on free expression and the labor movement. That he remains in ICE custody, even after being hospitalized, is both unacceptable and alarming.

“The labor movement will not tolerate retaliation against those who speak out against injustice. We demand Huerta’s immediate release and an end to efforts to intimidate activists through fear. Defending immigrant families is not a crime—it is a moral duty.”

Other individuals and groups have also condemned the arrest and injury of Huerta, such as California state senator Sasha Renee Perez and the UNI Global Union.

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