DENVER, CO — Stephanie Felix-Sowy, President of SEIU Local 105, issued the following statement in response to the violent and unlawful detention of SEIU California President David Huerta by ICE agents:
“The assault and arrest of SEIU California President David Huerta is an outrageous violation of his rights—and a threat to all working people. David was legally observing an ICE raid, standing in solidarity with his community, as union leaders and members have done for generations. For that, he was attacked, injured, and abducted by federal agents.
This is part of a disturbing pattern: workers who are not under investigation, who are simply defending their coworkers and communities, are being swept up in a wave of fear and intimidation. These ICE raids don’t just target undocumented immigrants—they are creating chaos that endangers jobs, safety, and civil liberties across entire communities.
Here in Colorado, a whistleblower lawsuit has revealed that Governor Jared Polis’s administration directed state employees to release personal information—including names, home addresses, and even contact details for children—to ICE, despite state laws that prohibit such cooperation without a court order. This betrayal not only endangers immigrant families—it puts state workers in dangerous and unjust positions and undermines the trust needed to serve all Coloradans.
We need our elected leaders to uphold our laws and protect working people—not cave to federal pressure or enable this administration’s abuse of power.
Now more than ever, workers need the power and protection that comes with being in a union. We will not be silent. We will not back down. And we demand the immediate release of our union brother, David Huerta.”
