Prosecutors drop charge against SEIU California chief arrested at protest

Huerta’s attorneys say prosecution aimed to silence protest criticism

Federal prosecutors moved Monday to dismiss a criminal charge against David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union California, who was arrested while protesting the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

The motion, filed by the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles, abandoned a prosecution that Huerta’s lawyers said had no legal basis and was intended to silence criticism of the administration’s immigration policies. Huerta leads SEIU California, which has more than 750,000 members including janitors, security officers and other workers.

“We said from the outset that this prosecution had no legal basis,” Huerta’s lawyers, Abbe D. Lowell and Marilyn Bednarski, said in a statement. “This case, like others, sought to silence criticism of the administration’s improper immigration actions. Today’s filing is proof that David and other critics will not be silenced.”

The case was the latest to fall apart among Justice Department efforts to prosecute people accused of assaulting or hindering federal officers while protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, the Associated Press reported.