Political Watch: June 12, 2025

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• U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff (D-California) and Alex Padilla (D-California) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) signed a June 9 letter addressed to three federal departments regarding David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California, who was arrested on June 6 during a confrontation at an ICE raid in Los Angeles. “During a workplace enforcement action, Mr. Huerta, a well-known and deeply respected community leader, was exercising his lawful right to observe the conduct of immigration enforcement personnel,” the letter stated. “In the course of doing so, Mr. Huerta suffered an injury and law enforcement personnel apprehended and subsequently arrested him. … We request that the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice undertake a review to determine which federal agencies and personnel were involved in the actions that resulted in the injuries sustained by Mr. Huerta and what disciplinary actions may be necessary for relevant federal personnel.” The Department of Justice charged Huerta with conspiracy to impede an officer, according to court documents. Huerta was released on June 9 on $50,000 bond.

• On June 5, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) introduced a legislative package to prevent the deportation of servicemembers’ parents. The package includes his bipartisan legislation, the Protect Patriot Parents Act, which would make parents of U.S. military servicemembers eligible for lawful permanent resident status, preventing potential deportations or separations of military families. The package also contains a bill that would grant longtime Central Coast resident and military mother, Juana Flores, permanent resident status. At a recent press conference on Capitol Hill, Carbajal spoke about Flores, the mother of U.S. Air Force Sgt. Caesar Flores. In 2021, Carbajal aided the Flores family in securing Juana’s return to the U.S. and worked with President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to secure humanitarian parole for Juana—who was deported from her home in Goleta despite living in the U.S. for more than 30 years and building a life in Santa Barbara County with her husband, 10 children, and 19 grandchildren, according to Carbajal’s office. “As a veteran and immigrant myself, I find it unconscionable that someone like Sgt. Flores could step up to serve in the military and be willing to sacrifice their life for our country, only to have their family torn apart,” Carbajal said. “That’s why I’m introducing legislation to shape an immigration system that is fair, keeps families together, and recognizes the positive contributions immigrants make to our country.” Juana’s granddaughter, Andrea Gómez Flores, stated that she wholeheartedly supports the passage of Carbajal’s bill. “No family should have to endure forced separation—especially when our loved ones are serving this country and fighting for the freedoms we all cherish,” Andrea said in the June 5 statement from Carbajal’s office. “We must uphold the values of dignity, compassion, and justice for every family affected.” Carbajal is also a co-sponsor of U.S. Rep. Darren Soto’s (D-Florida) Protect Patriot Spouses Act, which would render military spouses eligible for adjustment to permanent resident status by amending the Immigration and Nationality Act to remove the inadmissibility standard because of an unlawful entry into the United States by the migrant spouse. It would also allow eligible veteran spouses who have already been removed or voluntarily departed the United States to apply for an immigrant visa from abroad and then become authorized to return to the country while their application is pending. 

This article appears in Jun 12-22, 2025.