"Federal authorities are now pursuing a misdemeanor charge against David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union California, who was arrested during the first day of a series of immigration raids that swept the region. Prosecutors originally brought a felony charge of conspiracy to impede an officer against Huerta, accusing him of obstructing federal authorities from serving a search warrant at a Los Angeles workplace and arresting dozens of undocumented immigrants on June 6."
"The lawyers said that "in the four months that have passed since David's arrest, it has become even clearer there were no grounds for charging him and certainly none for the way he was treated." "It's clear that David Huerta is being singled out not for anything he did but for who he is - a life-long workers' advocate who has been an outspoken critic of its immigration policies."
David Huerta, president of SEIU California, was arrested on the first day of a series of regional immigration raids and initially charged with felony conspiracy to impede an officer. Federal prosecutors later downgraded the allegation to a misdemeanor of "obstruction resistance or opposition of a federal officer," punishable by up to one year in federal prison, instead of the previous potential six-year felony term. The U.S. attorney's office declined comment. Huerta's attorneys said they will seek a speedy trial and contend there were no grounds for the charges, characterizing the prosecution as targeting a longtime workers' advocate and critic of immigration policy.
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