LOS ANGELES — The leader of a major Southern California labor union who was arrested while protesting an immigration raid earlier this year has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges and will go on trial in January.
David Huerta is president of the Service Employees International Union of California. He was arrested in June 6 when he joined a large crowd of protesters outside a Los Angeles business where federal agents were investigating alleged immigration violations.
Huerta was originally charged with obstructing, resisting or opposing a federal officer, a Class A felony. However, federal prosecutors last month dismissed the original felony charge of conspiracy to obstruct an officer.
On Tuesday he pleaded not guilty to obstruction of justice. His trial is scheduled to begin on January 20, 2026. Los Angeles Times reported.
During a June protest, Huerta sat in front of a car gate and encouraged others to walk in circles to try to block law enforcement from getting in and out, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, who is part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, wrote in an earlier federal court filing.
The officer told Huerta to leave and then grabbed Huerta with his hands to move him out of the way of the vehicle, the agent wrote. Huerta pushed away and the officer took Huerta to the ground and arrested him, according to the documents.
Huerta's union represents hundreds of thousands of janitors, security officers and other workers throughout California. His arrest became a rallying cry for immigrant advocates across the country as they called for his release and an end to President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration.
Abbe David Lowell and Marilyn Bednarski, Huerta's lawyers, said in a statement they would seek a “speedy trial” to acquit him.
