Union leader David Huerta pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice related to a confrontation with immigration officials during a raid this summer.<\/p>\n
Huerta, the 58-year-old president of the Service Employees International Union California \u2014 a group that represents healthcare, property service and public sector employees \u2014 was detained by federal agents and hospitalized June 6 while documenting one of the first in a string of immigration raids that roiled the region over the summer. He was released on his personal recognizance and was told to remain at least 100 feet away from federal officers. <\/p>\n
After his arraignment, Huerta spoke to reporters, union members and supporters, blasting the charges filed against him. <\/p>\n
\u201cThese charges are baseless, they are attempting to silence anyone who dares to speak out, organize or demand justice,\u201d Huerta said. \u201cI will continue to stand with you until every worker and every family is safe from raids, separation and fear and our constitutional rights are protected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chants of \u201c\u00a1Si se puede!\u201d erupted from the small crowd. <\/p>\n
In a video of the incident obtained by TV station KPIX, Huerta can be seen at a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles verbally confronting federal agents with his hands at his hips before being shoved to the ground and promptly taken into custody, hoisted by the back collar of his shirt.<\/p>\n
According to the original federal criminal complaint, Huerta was allegedly witnessed \u201ctaunting\u201d and \u201cyelling\u201d at federal enforcement officers as they attempted to execute criminal search warrants of four businesses in the downtown area accused of \u201cunlawfully employing illegal aliens.\u201d The complaint alleged that Huerta also attempted to block federal enforcement vehicles from exiting or entering a clothing wholesale business parking and compelled other protesters to sit in front of the vehicle exit.<\/p>\n
After his arrest, prosecutors said they originally planned to charge Huerta with a federal felony offense of conspiracy to impede an officer, which can carry a maximum six-year sentence. He was released soon after on a $50,000 bond. <\/p>\n
Huerta\u2019s attorney, Marilyn Bednarski, said after the press conference that the charges were downgraded from a felony to a misdemeanor, she believes, due to a lack of solid evidence. <\/p>\n
The detainment spawned an intense reaction from immigrant and labor activists, becoming a flash point early in the protests around California. The National Guard was deployed to Los Angeles days later, leading to additional unrest across the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis administration has turned the military against our own people, terrorizing entire communities, and even detaining U.S. citizens who are exercising their constitutional rights to speak out,\u201d SEIU Workers West, a subdivision of the union, said in a press release. \u201c<\/p>\n
Top Democratic leaders also criticized federal officers for their treatment of Huerta during and after the arrest, including California Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Gov. Gavin Newsom. <\/p>\n
\u201cDavid Huerta is a respected leader, a patriot and an advocate for working people,\u201d Newsom said in a statement at the time. \u201cNo one should ever be harmed for witnessing government action.\u201d<\/p>\n
The U.S. Attorney Office for the Central District of California announced last month that 10 additional individuals had been federally charged and arrested on complaints of violence against officers and property during immigration protests. The office is also seeking federal charges against one individual in state custody and another who has yet to be arrested.<\/p>\n