Federal prosecutors have moved to dismiss the case against a Los Angeles labor union leader who was among the first people arrested in connection with last year’s immigration enforcement protests in Southern California.
David Jose Huerta pleaded not guilty to federal misdemeanor charges in connection with his June arrest during one of several protests in Los Angeles stemming from sweeping federal immigration enforcement operations that were among of President Trump’s 2024 campaign promises.
Huerta pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction, resistance, or opposition of a federal officer. The misdemeanor carries a statutory maximum sentence of one year in federal prison.
The motion to dismiss the case against Huerta was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in California. In a statement, the federal prosecutor’s office in Los Angeles said the criminal case is expected to be fully dismissed, if Huerta continues to comply with pretrial release terms.
“The Department of Justice does not arrest people for peacefully protesting,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in its statement. “Mr. Huerta was charged with unlawfully interfering with the execution of a judicial search warrant. Mr. Huerta has agreed to accept responsibility for his actions. For the last 13 months, he has been compliant with the terms of his bond and has not engaged in the same obstructive behavior that led to his arrest and criminal charges being filed against him. Pursuant to an agreement entered into with our office, if Mr. Huerta continues to comply with his pretrial release terms, we expect the criminal case against him to be fully dismissed by the end of next month.”
Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union California, was arrested June 6 during a protest outside a business in Los Angeles where federal agents were investigating suspected immigration violations. At the time, Huerta called the case “baseless” and insisted he was exercising his First Amendment rights when agents detained him outside Ambiance Apparel, the site where dozens of undocumented workers were arrested.
Huerta’s union represents hundreds of thousands of janitors, security officers and other workers across California.
During the June protest, Huerta sat down in front of vehicle gate and encouraged others to walk in circles to try to prevent law enforcement from going in or out, a special agent for Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, wrote in an earlier federal court filing. An officer told Huerta to leave, then put his hands on Huerta to move him out of the way of a vehicle, the agent wrote. Huerta pushed back, and the officer pushed Huerta to the ground and arrested him, according to the filing.
Huerta later was released from federal custody on bond and the original felony obstruction charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor.
“We said from the outset that this prosecution had no legal basis,” Huerta’s lawyers, Abbe D. Lowell and Marilyn Bednarski, said in a statement to the Associated Press. “This case, like others, sought to silence criticism of the administration’s improper immigration actions. Today’s filing is proof that David and other critics will not be silenced.”