Graig Graziosi at The Independent reports Labor Leader David Huerta was detained while observing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids taking place in Los Angeles. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California says that its President, David Huerta, was injured during the ICE raids and is calling for his release, NBC4 Los Angeles reports. “SEIU California Members call for the immediate release of our President, David Huerta, who was injured and detained at the site of one of today's ICE raids in Los Angeles. He is now receiving medical attention while in custody,” Tia Orr, Executive Director of SEIU California, said. Mayor Karen Bass told NBC4 that Huerta had been pepper-sprayed during the incident. "He is doing okay physically, but I know what really impacted him the most was the emotional trauma of watching parents and kids being separated," Bass said. "He's going into ICE custody and we hope to get him out very soon." The SEIU issued a statement supporting Huerta, insisting he was "exercising his First Amendment right to observe and document law enforcement activity." “We are proud of President Huerta’s righteous participation as a community observer, in keeping with his long history of advocating for Immigrant Workers and with the highest values of our movement: Standing up to injustice, regardless of personal risk or the power of those perpetrating it," the Union said. The Los Angeles County AFL-CIO Federation of Labor issued a statement denouncing Huerta’s arrest, saying his “detainment is yet another chilling example of (the Trump) Administration’s efforts to use immigration actions to target and silence dissenters.”

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