by Donald Eng and Kyle Galvin
HARTFORD, CT — Local chapters of the Service Employees International Union and allied groups rallied at the Connecticut State Capitol Monday in support of immigrant workers in Los Angeles, while decrying the arrest of SEIU California President David Huerta.
Huerta, who is also the president of SEIU United Service Workers West, was injured while being taken into custody and hospitalized during a U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in Los Angeles on Friday. He was scheduled to appear in court Monday, where he faces charges of interfering with federal officers, according to a social media post from Bill Essayli, U.S Attorney for California’s Central District.
Rochelle Palache, vice president of SIEU 32BJ, said Huerta was peacefully observing the ICE raid and doing his “due diligence as a community member.” She called for Huerta’s immediate release and a stop to the ICE raids and detentions.
“We just cannot tolerate it anymore,” Palache said. “Our community members, immigrant or not, deserve to remain here, to work here and to be able to have their livelihoods protected.”
The protest at the Capitol was one of many actions nationwide organized by local SEIU affiliates on Monday. SEIU 32BJ is the largest union of property service workers in the United States and has more than 185,000 members across the Northeastern United States, according to their website.
32BJ’s membership is mostly immigrant, Palache, herself an immigrant from Jamaica, said. She said the current crackdown tells immigrant workers nationwide that they are not welcome nor valued in the United States.
“We as immigrants actually keep this country running,” Palache said. “All the wealth that this country has been able to attain was on the backs of immigrants.”
The Rev. Scott Marks, director of New Haven Rising, said standing together is important in the face of a “a system that’s been in place to drive us apart from each other.”
“I’m calling on Black people. I’m calling on queer people. I’m calling on our Latino brothers and sisters. Let’s come together,” Marks said to the cheering crowd.
Protestors chanted and waved signs reading, “Abolish ICE”, “Hands off my community”, and “Hate has no place in our state.”
In addition to 32BJ, the Hartford rally also saw participation from SEIU 1199, representing healthcare employees in New England, The 4Cs SEIU 1973, which represents over 4,000 higher education employees in Connecticut, and CSEA SEIU 2001, which represents over 22,000 active and retired public service employees.
Other groups present included the Connecticut chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, Make the Road CT, UNITE HERE, and the Trust Act NOW! Campaign.
Democratic state reps. Kate Ferrar, and Jillian Gilchrest, both of West Hartford, and Senate Majority Leader Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, also attended, though they did not speak.
The Connecticut legislature passed an expanded version of the Trust Act, which limits information state law enforcement can share with ICE, on May 27. The current mass protests in Los Angeles against ICE raids have been ongoing since June 6.