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 a misdemeanor charge and will face trial in January.
David Huerta He is president of the Service Employees International Union of California. he He was arrested in June He was arrested on October 6 while joining a large crowd of protesters outside a Los Angeles business where federal agents were investigating suspected immigration violations.
Huerta was initially charged with obstructing, resisting or opposing a federal officer — a first-degree felony. However, federal prosecutors last month The original felony charge of conspiracy to obstruct an officer was dismissed.
On Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor obstruction of justice. His trial is scheduled to begin on January 20, 2026 Los Angeles Times I mentioned.
During the June protest, Huerta sat in front of a vehicle gate and encouraged others to walk in circles to try to prevent law enforcement from entering or exiting, a special agent for Homeland Security Investigations, part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, wrote in a previous federal court filing.
An officer asked Huerta to leave, then put his hands on Huerta to get him out of the way of the vehicle, the agent wrote. He pushed Huerta back, and the officer pushed Huerta to the ground and arrested him, according to the file.
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 immigration crackdown.
Abe David Lowell and Marilyn Bednarski, Huerta’s attorneys, said in a statement that they would seek the “fastest trial” to acquit him.