NYC Labor Movement Stands with David Huerta

The CLC and others from the Labor Movement joined on Tuesday in demanding the immediate release of David Huerta, President of SEIU California and SEIU-USWW, and Vice President of the California Labor Federation. David was violently arrested and injured while legally observing an ICE raid in his community. He was doing what union leaders and members do best: showing up, standing in solidarity, and defending working people.

David was thankfully released from detention but we need to be clear: This is a direct attack on the Labor Movement and our First Amendment rights. ICE agents arrested David not for any crime, but for bearing witness to injustice. His detention was a violation of civil liberties and part of a broader crackdown meant to silence immigrant communities and union leaders. This isn’t just anti-immigrant, it’s anti-worker.

Militarized enforcement actions like the ones we’re seeing in Los Angeles don’t just tear families apart. They destabilize communities and target the very people who make our cities run. They turn our government into a weapon against our people.

David Huerta said it himself: This is about something bigger. It’s about whether we choose to stand on the side of justice. Here in New York City, we do. We stand with immigrant workers, with labor leaders under attack, and with every person fighting for dignity on the job.