Protesters in Downtown Pittsburgh joined a national wave of demonstrations Monday, demanding the release of union leader David Huerta, who was arrested last week in Los Angeles while protesting against federal immigration raids.
ICE, immigration and local response
Reporting on the reach and impact of immigration enforcement in Pittsburgh and across Southwestern Pennsylvania.
A crowd of 80 to 100 people, including Mayor Ed Gainey, began the protest on the corner of Grant and Liberty by chanting, “Pittsburgh is a union town. We don’t want no ICE around.”
The demonstration was part of a coordinated effort across multiple cities. Local elected officials and members from a range of union and advocacy groups — including Service Employees International Union [SEIU], of which Huerta is the California branch president, Casa San Jose, United Steelworkers, Indivisible and Bricklayers Allied Craftworkers — joined forces to voice their support.
Emilio Cano, SEIU representative and one of the organizers, said that although Pittsburgh has not yet experienced Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] raids, local unions are standing in solidarity with affected communities and sending a message to protect immigrants in the region.
First photo in slideshow: Emilio Cano, field representative and contract specialist for SEIU 32BJ, of Carrick, speaks in front of union and community members holding photos of detained SEIU labor leader David Huerta on June 9, in Downtown. “They want us to be afraid to stand up against these brutal military style raids on our friends and our neighbors,” said Cano. (Photos by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource)
“Things like this can be scary. And when you band together and you know that your brothers and your sisters are behind you, within the union, it gives you a lot of power, and it gives you a lot of emotion to go ahead and stand up for something that you believe in,” he said.
Jaime Martinez, community defense organizer of Casa San Jose, said there has been a rise in ICE arrests and violent incidents in Allegheny County in recent months. He encouraged attendees to use Casa San Jose’s hotline, which provides updates and guidance on how to safely respond to ICE activity, and to contribute to their solidarity fund.
“Ultimately, immigration is a matter of paperwork. And so the idea that we’re criminalizing people just for having a lack of status because of a dysfunctional system that our government has refused to fix over and over again,” he said.
Huerta was arrested on Friday for alleged interference during an ICE raid. He was initially hospitalized after being injured and transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center later that day. Federal authorities charged Huerta with conspiracy to impede an officer on Monday.
At a White House event on Monday, President Donald Trump talked about the protests in Los Angeles.
“Thank goodness we sent out some wonderful National Guard,” he said. Trump criticized California leaders by saying “they were afraid of doing anything.”
California will soon file a lawsuit against Trump’s extraordinary deployment of National Guard troops to confront immigration protesters in Los Angeles. State Attorney General Rob Bonta told reporters that the complaint would be filed Monday, and he plans to seek a court order declaring that Trump’s use of the Guard was unlawful and ask for a restraining order to halt the deployment.
“SEIU-USWW President David Huerta is a champion for justice for all working people — people who contribute to our communities, people who are vital to our state and local economies,” Cano said during the protest in Pittsburgh.
Several union members called on the public to mobilize, protest and speak out against ICE raids and detentions nationwide.
Gainey stood with the protesters, holding a sign that read, “No human is illegal.” He said the people of Pittsburgh need to ensure that the immigrant communities know that the city will stand up for them.
“In a land that is made of immigrants, the land that was built by immigrants, I don’t see any reason why you would be sending someone like ICE on our immigrant population.”
Among the crowd were University of Pittsburgh College Democrats Samantha Podnar and Austin Wise. Podnar, whose mother is an immigrant, said she felt compelled to support the cause and encourage others to do the same. Podnar and Wise work with Casa San Jose to protect immigrant rights and spread the message.
“It is so, so important that people like us, young people, stand in solidarity with people,” said Wise. “We all realize that now is the time to stand up. We can’t let our country be taken over by fascist, rich oligarchs.”
At left: Brittany Gonzalez, of Carnegie, holds a photo of her daughter’s lemonade stand raising money for her father’s release. On the right, she holds a sign at the June 9 protest. Gonzalez says her husband, Macario Gonzalez-Perez, was detained by ICE on May 20. She says community members have dropped off letters of support at the Carnegie alterations and dry cleaning business he has owned and operated for 14 years. “He pays taxes, he contributes greatly,” she said, her eyes filling up with tears. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource)
Daisy Pipkin, an organizer with Workers United, said she was concerned about elected union leaders being attacked and arrested indiscriminately. Allegheny County Treasurer Erica Rocchi Brusselars echoed those fears, questioning whether anyone — regardless of legal status — can feel truly safe if fundamental rights are not upheld.
Jasmine Green, director of education at 1HOOD Media Academy, said she was not optimistic that local protests would sway the administration but hoped the combined demonstrations would generate national pressure and reduce divisiveness.
Ben Bashioum and Emma Oberg were at the protest as descendants of families who fled Nazi Germany and expressed their concern regarding ICE activities across the country.
“My grandmother immigrated here from Nazi Germany and she is terrified seeing the same thing happening right now,” said Oberg.
City Councilor Barb Warwick underscored the importance of unity, saying ICE raids instill fear rather than promote safety. She warned that arrests like Huerta’s have consequences beyond Los Angeles.
“When we see union leaders being detained in Los Angeles, that means there’s a threat of our leaders here in Pittsburgh being detained.”
The Associated Press contributed.
Lajja Mistry is the K-12 education reporter at Pittsburgh’s Public Source. She can be reached at lajja@publicsource.org.
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