AFT President Condemns ICE Detention of SEIU Leader, Calls for Release

Activist Arrest Sparks Outcry Against ICE Actions

Raids Must Stop and SEIU California Leader David Huerta Must Be Immediately Released from ICE Detention

WASHINGTON—The recent arrest of activists and the deployment of the National Guard by the Trump administration in Los Angeles has drawn criticism from various quarters. AFT President Randi Weingarten expressed her concerns regarding the situation.

"This illegal, heavy-handed, and unnecessary crackdown on peaceful protesters is a trumped-up excuse to manufacture a spectacle and stoke further tensions. Instead of de-escalating, the administration seems intent on provoking and scapegoating hardworking immigrants to distract from its political woes," Weingarten stated.

She further emphasized the overreach of the administration's actions, saying, "This is Trump wanting to be king, putting the National Guard on the ground to target and intimidate. Our founders resisted kings after the U.S. revolution because we fought for due process, for constitutionally protected speech and for not disappearing people off the streets or arresting people for nonviolent protests. Today, that means not brutalizing immigrant workers advocating for themselves and their families."

The AFT, representing a wide array of professionals including 1.8 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers, paraprofessionals, and other school-related personnel, as well as higher education faculty and professional staff, federal, state, and local government employees, nurses, healthcare workers, and early childhood educators, stands firm in its opposition to the recent actions taken by the administration.

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