Sheet metal apprentice Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s employers are anxious to welcome him back to work. They see him as an outstanding employee, according to Michael Coleman, his union’s international president.
SMART—the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers—is working with his lawyers and fighting to maintain health care for his wife and three children, said Coleman. “We’re doing everything we can,” he said.
As a first-year SMART Local 100 apprentice, Abrego Garcia was learning how to fabricate, assemble, repair, and install thin sheets of metal in buildings and homes in Maryland. The union, which has over 230,000 members across North America, spends $60 million annually to train apprentices, who undergo a five-year program that combines classroom learning and on-the-job experience. According to data from the Census Bureau, 20% of sheet metal workers are Hispanic, a number that has grown in recent years as more immigrants enter apprenticeship programs.
On March 12, Abrego Garcia’s apprenticeship was suddenly put on hold, however. He was pulled over while driving. His disabled five-year old son watched from the back seat as ICE agents, without any warrant, took his father into custody. Three days later, he was shipped out of the country and incarcerated in the Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT) in El Salvador.
During his childhood in El Salvador, Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s mother, Cecilia, ran a pupusa business out of her home in San Salvador called “Pupusaria Cecilia.” A pupusa is a thick pastry made of masa and stuffed with cheese, beans, or meat. According to a court filing, he originally fled his country after gangs threatened the successful business and extorted money from his family.
On April 4, the District Court of Maryland ruled that Abrego Garcia’s deportation was illegal and ordered that he be returned to the U.S. immediately. Six days later, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Maryland District Court’s decision by a vote of nine to zero. So far, President Donald Trump has defied the courts and refused to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return.
The CECOT prison where he is being held has faced criticism from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for malnourished inmates and has also been the subject of allegations of human rights abuses.
Labor leaders across the country are taking notice of the injustice against one of their own.
“Our labor movement is united in loudly demanding: Bring our Brother Kilmar home,” said Los Angeles Federation of Labor President Yvonne Wheeler.
SMART has been vocal in support of their union brother. “Kilmar is one of us; he’s not just a headline,” said Steve Hinson, president of SMART Local 105. “Abrego Garcia signed up for the local’s apprenticeship program because he believes in the value of hard work and believes in the American dream.”
The Trump administration, however, continues to blockade Abrego Garcia’s return home to his family and denies him a fair hearing.
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