Ohio union joins nationwide call in advocating for the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia

In early April, Jeff Hunley, business manager for SMART Local 24, the sheet metal workers union representing members stretched across 49 counties in Ohio, in addition to West Virginia, Indiana, and Kentucky, traveled with other union members to Washington, D.C. for the annual North America’s Building Trades Unions legislative conference.

The conference concluded with a day of lobbying on Capitol Hill, during which Hunley said he and others met with the offices of various Ohio politicians, including Sen. Bernie Moreno, Rep. Troy Balderson, Rep. Greg Landsman, Rep. Mike Carey, and Rep. Joyce Beatty. Among the subjects discussed were the Inflation Reduction Act and the various credits and labor standards associated with the bill; the importance of preserving the CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed into law by former President Joe Biden and the future of which has since been called into question under President Donald Trump; and the need to protect the health benefits of union members.

Hunley said the union members also used their time to advocate for the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident and first-year member of SMART Local 100 who was unconstitutionally deported by the Trump administration on March 15 and sent to the Center for Terrorism Confinement, a so-called “mega prison” in El Salvador where he currently remains confined. The Justice Department later admitted the removal was an “administrative error,” but despite a court order to do anything possible to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return, Trump administration officials have dug in their heels, publicly vowing that he is “never coming back.”

Hunley said he initially heard of the deportation via traditional media channels, only learning that Abrego Garcia was a fellow union member when SMART General President Mike Coleman released a statement on behalf of the union.

“The principle of due process is one of the fundamental values our nation is founded upon,” Coleman said in the statement. “When Kilmar Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, he was denied his right to due process, and we at SMART are fighting to ensure he receives the treatment he is granted under law. … We continue to call on the United States government to return Abrego Garcia to the United States and be granted due process, and we encourage every American who believes in the rule of law to do the same.”

Other national unions have picked up the call, with the AFL-CIO posting on social media to urge its members “to be even louder” in their outreach to Congress.

While SMART Local 24 has not yet released its own public statement, Hunley said the union has not ruled one out, and that he supports the statements made to this point by SMART International, which has called on union leaders and members nationwide to contact their representatives on behalf of Abrego Garcia.

“I personally believe that it is important that union members speak up on this issue,” Hunley said, writing in response to a series of email questions submitted by Matter News. “While conversations around this topic can be controversial due to the heightened awareness of immigration policy in the current political climate, what should not be controversial is due process, and the enforcement of the U.S. Constitution by the U.S. court system.”

Hunley said the union has also discussed the importance of holding representatives accountable not only for their votes, “but [for their] actions or non-action when it comes to supporting Constitutional law, the rule of the courts, and decisions that negatively impact union members.”

“There are few strengths in this county stronger than a united working class standing up together,” he said. “Unions are an integral piece to this equation.”

These efforts arrive amid a challenging time nationwide for unions, which have struggled for years with declining membership (In January, union density fell to 9.9 percent, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the first time in generations that number has dropped into the single digits) and now face an even more hostile environment under President Trump. 

In December, Melissa Cropper, president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers, pointed to the elevation of billionaires such as Elon Musk to positions of power within the Trump administration as “a sign we should be fearful of what’s next for working-class people.”

“[The landscape is] certainly challenging,” Hunley said. “Unions, including ours, represent members from many different backgrounds, living in different areas across multiple states. These members form a spectrum of political beliefs. Communicating and educating members about ever-changing policies and who is a supporter of workers versus who is a foe will always be a challenge, even in the best of times. When compounded with the heightened level of attacks, this adds up to a critical moment in labor history, in my opinion.”

Abrego Garcia’s deportation, Hunley said, highlights the need for this collective voice, as well as reminding the public of the essential role unions can play in safeguarding against “government overreach and failure to protect working class families.”

“[We have to] fight like hell to push back against negative policy directed toward organized labor and its members,” he said. “One word summarizes it best: organize, both internal and external.”