WASHINGTON—The U.S. government has criminally charged David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) of California, for allegedly conspiring to obstruct an immigration-related detention in Los Angeles.

On June 6, Huerta allegedly conspired with other protesters to share the location of a site where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents had arrived to conduct a search warrant of businesses purportedly employing illegal immigrants without authorization.