California union leader charged for blocking ICE, claims it was not his 'intention to get arrested'

A California union head has been charged with conspiracy to impede an officer after his Friday arrest during the anti-ICE riots that saw violence across Los Angeles over the weekend.

David Huerta, the president of the California division of the Service Employees International Union, was released on Monday afternoon on a $50,000 bond. He is set to appear in court on July 7 for his arraignment on one felony charge of conspiracy to impede an officer, per CBS News. 

Speaking to media after his release, Huerta said, "We will have our time for justice, but we must do it in a way that we demonstrate the power of working people across this country and stand united."

He later added that it "was not my intention to get arrested."

A sworn affidavit from a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent stated that at around 11:10 am on June 6, a woman arrived outside the gate where a search warrant was taking place in Los Angeles for a business suspected of employing illegal immigrants. She made a call, and around 15 to 30 minutes after the call’s conclusion, additional protesters arrived, one of which was identified as Huerta. 

"The protestors, including Huerta, appeared to be communicating with each other in a concerted effort to disrupt the law enforcement operations," the affidavit stated. 

At one point, Huerta and another person allegedly sat cross-legged in front of the vehicular gate at the property. Huerta urged others to sit down, the affidavit stated. An undercover officer who was in the crowd told the HSI agent that Huerta urged other protestors to "stop the vehicles" and said, "it’s a public sidewalk, they can’t stop us." 

The HSI agent said that as far as he knew, this gate was the only way in or out of the premises for vehicles. He said he asked Huerta to move away from the gate so because he was impeding officers from access to the premises, and Huerta allegedly responded, "what are you going to do, you can't arrest all of us."

The affidavit stated, "This indicated to me that he and the others had planned in advance of arrival to disrupt the operation. I told Huerta that if he continued to block the gate, he would be arrested. Huerta replied 'I can't hear you through your f*cking mask.' Others in the crowd repeatedly asked me and other law enforcement officers to take our masks off and attempted to film our faces and badges in an apparent attempt to intimidate us."

At one point, a white law enforcement van using its sirens and flashing lights attempted to enter the premises. Officers demanded that the group move away from the gate, but Huerta "refused to move away from the path of the vehicle and instead stood in front of the vehicle with his hands on his hips."

Huerta was arrested after pushing a law enforcement officer, who was attempting to physically move Huerta out of the way. 

David Huerta Affidavit by Hannah Nightingale on Scribd