Mass. labor groups rally against ICE arrest of California union leader

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BOSTON — Unrest in California spurred by federal immigration enforcement raids has reached the East Coast, where hundreds of protesters gathered Monday in solidarity with their counterparts on the other side of the country.
At a peaceful rally in front of Boston City Hall, members of SEIU and other unions condemned the Friday arrest of David Huerta, president of SEIU California, in Los Angeles. Huerta had been attending a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids at a number of work sites in the area, which led to more than 100 arrests.
'Arresting a lawful resident without any due process should chill every American to the bone. It's a dangerous precedent,' said Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Chrissy Lynch. 'If David Huerta can be arrested for exercising his rights, who's next? Which one of us is next? Where does it end?'
Huerta was one of at least 44 protesters to be arrested in California Friday. The following day, violent confrontations broke out between federal authorities and protesters, with law enforcement using tear gas and rubber bullets and protesters setting cars on fire.
President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard, despite California Gov. Gavin Newsom's objections. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also threatened to mobilize active duty Marines, a threat he followed through with Monday afternoon, sending 700 Marines to Los Angeles, according to ABC News.
'Trump's threats to deploy the military against civilians on U.S. soil is illegal, unnecessary, unjust,' said ACLU of Massachusetts Executive Director Carol Rose at the rally, which took place before the news that the Marines were being sent to Los Angeles broke.
'No matter how much firepower the federal government threatens to wield, it will never be a match for people power,' Rose added. 'Democracy is not just a piece of paper. Democracy is workers and ordinary people showing up to protect one another and defend our collective rights, including the right to protest and dissent.'
Barbara Roy of Marblehead attended the rally in Boston with her friend and neighbor, Mary Chalifour. Roy said she went to her first protest three months ago because of how upset she was by the actions of the Trump administration.
Roy carried a sign bearing a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.: 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' She said 'justice' was what brought her to Monday's rally.
'Justice isn't being served,' she said.
Boston has had its own confrontations with the Trump administration over its immigration policies. Mayor Michelle Wu was called to testify before Congress in March about the city's status as a so-called 'sanctuary city,' meaning local law enforcement does not cooperate with ICE on civil cases.
More recently, Wu drew criticism from U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley, who released a video on social media last week saying the mayor was pushing 'false narratives' about federal immigration enforcement.
Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia, who attended Monday's rally, acknowledged the city had already been targeted by the federal government but said the hundreds of protesters who showed up to City Hall showed the city's position.
'We're standing firm. We're ready for it,' Mejia said. 'We're signaling to the Trump administration, 'Don't mess with Boston.''
Huerta was arraigned in court in California at the same time as the rally Monday afternoon. He has been charged with conspiring to impede an officer, according to the Associated Press.
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Read the original article on MassLive.