Following the violent and unlawful detention of California Federation of Labour Vice-President, and SEIU California and SEIU-USWW President David Huerta during a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid, the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is calling for his immediate release and condemning the dangerous escalation of state force under the Trump administration.
David Huerta, a respected union leader and lifelong trade unionist, was fulfilling his duty to protect workers during a workplace raid, an act grounded in civic responsibility and solidarity. For this, he was assaulted, detained, and remains in custody. These workplace raids are not about public safety, they are calculated acts of intimidation. They tear families apart, target immigrant communities, and threaten the dignity and security of entire neighbourhoods.
The OFL condemns the anti-immigrant racism driving these policies, racism with devastating consequences as entire communities are subjected to surveillance, harassment, and displacement. This is not law enforcement. This is systemic discrimination.
Under President Donald Trump’s renewed anti-immigrant agenda, we are witnessing a return to aggressive, punitive immigration enforcement aimed at silencing dissent and punishing solidarity. The use of force against a union president is not only unacceptable it is a direct attack on workers and the labour movement.
These actions do not occur in isolation. What takes place in the United States under Trump’s leadership reverberates across borders. It emboldens anti-worker, anti-immigrant agendas here in Canada and threatens the rights and safety of working people everywhere.
The OFL stands in full solidarity with SEIU California, SEIU-USWW, and the California Labour Federation. We demand the immediate release of David Huerta and full accountability for the excessive use of force that led to his detention.
Solidarity does not end at national borders. From Ontario to California, unions will continue to defend all workers because justice has no borders, and neither does our movement.
