When Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters attempted to check on David Huerta, the SEIU California president who was arrested during the Los Angeles riots, she was essentially trying to meet an official of one of her largest donor organizations, The Dallas Express has learned.
Amid the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles, officials arrested Huerta on June 6 for obstructing a warrant. Huerta is the president of the California branch of SEIU, a national public union that overwhelmingly supports Democrats. Waters tried to check on Huerta on June 8, but officers shut the door in her face.
SEIU was the third-highest contributor to Waters’ campaign committee from 2023 to 2024, according to OpenSecrets. While the union itself cannot give directly to candidates, individuals or PACS affiliated with the union have given $57,500 total to Waters’ campaigns since 2016.
After Waters was denied access to the Los Angeles building where Huerta was being detained, she said she wanted to “report back to my caucus” on his situation.
I would like to buy the officer who slammed the door on Maxine Waters a drink.
They’re actually doing their job and aren’t there for Congressional photo ops.
pic.twitter.com/pdIsfWVfbX— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) June 9, 2025
“He is the head of SEIU local union here,” Waters said in a video at the time. “I don’t know why he was targeted, I don’t know what they’re doing with him, I don’t know whether they’re going to deport him.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom, also a Democrat, denounced Huerta’s arrest at the time, as The Dallas Express reported. “David Huerta is a respected leader, a patriot, and an advocate for working people. No one should ever be harmed for witnessing government action,” Newsom wrote on X.
SEIU was the fifth-largest contributor to Newsom’s campaign committee in 2022, the year he won reelection, according to OpenSecrets. That cycle alone, individuals or PACs associated with the union gave $154,300 to support Newsom’s reelection.
The day before Waters tried to access Huerta, Attorney General Pam Bondi warned rioters in Los Angeles: “It doesn’t matter if you’re a judge, a member of Congress, or a protestor in Los Angeles: If you obstruct or assault a law enforcement officer, this Department of Justice will prosecute you.”
President Donald Trump has since deployed the National Guard to protect ICE operations in Los Angeles, as The Dallas Express reported. Elon Musk also called out the riots: “This is not ok.” According to CBS 8, Newsom announced June 8 the state is suing Trump for his efforts to quell the violence.