CFA President Statement on David Huerta

David Huerta, a prominent labor leader and president of SEIU-United Service Workers West (USWW), was vindicated yesterday after a 14-month-long battle against unjust allegations. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) moved to dismiss wrongful criminal charges against him.

This is a huge win for those fighting to protect free speech and against the Trump administration’s political attacks and immigration crackdown. Our members remain in continued solidarity with all students, workers, and families facing detention, family separation, or deportation at the hands of this authoritarian regime.
 
Huerta has spent decades of his life fighting to improve the lives of workers and to create a more humane society for everyone. He was arrested in June 2025 while peacefully protesting a workplace immigration raid outside of Los Angeles and has endured this tribulation for more than a year. 

Just three months ago, a CFA member and CSU Channel Islands lecturer, Dr. John Caravello, was acquitted of all charges after he was accused of allegedly assaulting a federal officer during an immigration raid. 

While the aftermath of these two high-profile cases demonstrates just how powerful it is to organize and be in solidarity with one another, there is still much work to be done to secure a safe and inclusive environment for those who are most dear to us. We continue to move to change policy on our campuses, such as how we held the CSU accountable with our successful advocacy for Senate Bill 98 in the state legislature. Together, we will keep demanding that management do more to address the issues that plague our campus community and prevent students from getting equitable access to education. 

To that end, we will organize for the justice that we all deserve, and we will do what we can to put an end to the criminalization, harassment, and tyranny that afflict our immigrant communities. 

In union, 
Margarita Berta-Ávila  
President, California Faculty Association  
Professor of Education, College of Education  
Sacramento State University  
I live, work, and organize on the Miwok, Maidu, and Nisenan lands.