U.S. labor leaders have called upon the Salvadoran government to release Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a union member allegedly deported from the United States without due process. The appeal was issued on International Workers’ Day by prominent figures including Liz Shuler of the AFL-CIO, along with Jimmy Williams Jr. of IUPAT, Michael Coleman of SMART, and Gwen Mills of UNITE HERE.
In their correspondence to Salvadoran Ambassador Milena Mayorga, the labor leaders described Abrego Garcia as a “first-year apprentice of Local 100 of [SMART]” and highlighted his role in building infrastructure in Maryland. They contend that Abrego Garcia was deported “without due process or opportunity for appeal,” a situation they deem a “miscarriage of justice.”
Abrego Garcia has been held in an El Salvador prison for over a month and was removed from the U.S. despite having been granted legal status in 2019 due to threats from gangs in El Salvador. The letter notes that, “federal courts” recognize the deportation as an error, and the U.S. government has admitted to an “administrative error,” yet he remains detained.
The labor leaders urged El Salvador to honor “the fundamental principles of rule of law and due process” by facilitating Abrego Garcia’s return to his family in the U.S. They also sought a meeting with Ambassador Mayorga to discuss potential resolutions for Abrego Garcia and other workers in similar situations.
