On Friday 6th of June, David Huerta the President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) was arrested whilst taking part in a peaceful protest against a raid by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on a garment workshop in Central Los Angeles. He was acting as a community observer at the time of his arrest. He was assaulted and physically injured, necessitating hospital treatment. Although he was later released, on $50,000 bail, he has been charged with “conspiracy to impede an officer,” which carries a maximum prison sentence of 6 years. Widespread protests have been held against his arrest, with many trade unionists seeing this as a deliberate attempt to intimidate trade unions by an increasingly autocratic state machine.

The action that David Huerta had taken part in was in response to increasingly aggressive ICE raids of workplaces where even US citizens had been detained until they could prove US citizenship. A recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) at least 70 US citizens were deported by ICE between 2015 and 2020. The situation is becoming even more serious since the election of Trump as president.  Workers were primarily targeted because of their skin color, with black workers and those of Hispanic and Asian appearance being subjected to harassment from the often armed and masked ICE agents.  In this situation, a union representing a large number of immigrant workers could not stand aside. David Huerta was peacefully protesting these raids and acting as a community observer to discourage illegal actions by the agents.

Discrimination against and attacks on foreign workers, who make up 4.7% of the global workforce, have become a phenomenon in many countries. We believe it is important that labour unions fight for these workers and in doing so build the unity of all workers. This is not just a US issue—it’s a global issue of workers’ rights, racial justice, and the right to organize. Attacks on foreign and immigrant workers are rising across borders. As trade unionists, we must stand united.

We call on all Japanese labor unions, community organizations, and allies to join a solidarity protest on July 24 starting from south of Osaka City Hall to the US General Consulate.

• Demand justice for David Huerta
• Condemn the criminalization of peaceful protest
• Stand with migrant and immigrant workers
• Defend the right to organize without fear

Let’s show that international solidarity is stronger than repression. Join us on July 24.

General Union members can RSVP their attendance here.