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On Monday, August 25, Kilmar Abrego Garcia attended a mandatory check-in with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in Baltimore, where he was detained. In response, SMART General President Michael Coleman issued the following statement:

“On Monday morning, just days after he finally saw his family again, Kilmar followed the law by attending a mandatory check-in with ICE — and he was detained. According to his lawyers, ICE did not say why they are detaining Kilmar or where they are taking him.

“At SMART, we fight for the principle of due process every single day. We stand for the fundamental American value that all our members, and everyone in this country, are innocent until proven guilty. Let’s be very clear: Kilmar deserves his day in court. And if the government wants to send him to jail, they need to prove his guilt in court.  

“As of this morning, Kilmar has filed a lawsuit challenging his detention and deportation, ‘unless and until he [has] a fair trial in an immigration court, as well as his full appeal rights.’ We stand with Kilmar’s family and supporters in demanding he receive a fair trial and the chance to make his case in court.”

Following reports Friday that Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been freed from Putnam County Jail and is on his way to Maryland to be reunited with his family, SMART General President Michael Coleman issued the following statement.

“Kilmar Abrego Garcia, like every single SMART member and every person in this country, has a constitutional right to due process. We demanded that Kilmar be granted that right in March, when he was first illegally deported to El Salvador; in April, when the United States Supreme Court issued a decision that backed a federal judge’s order requiring the government to facilitate Kilmar’s return; and in June, when he arrived back in the U.S.

“Today, after months apart, Kilmar will finally have the chance to reunite with his family. We are grateful that Kilmar, his wife, Jennifer, and his children will be able to see each other soon. And we remain firm in our commitment to the rights of our members. As we said from the beginning, this isn’t about one man — it is about ensuring our constitutional rights are protected, for the sake of all SMART members and everyone in this country. We will always fight for due process for every single member of our union.

“We call for Kilmar’s rights to be protected as the legal process moves forward.”

Yesterday, the White House budget office encouraged federal agencies to use project labor agreements on construction jobs. The guidance includes potential exceptions to avoid the use of PLAs.

“Although it doesn’t contain the same protections as the Biden administration, this is a step in the right direction. Project labor agreements create jobs for SMART members and working people across our country,” SMART General President Michael Coleman said in response. “All of us at SMART appreciate and applaud yesterday’s guidance from the White House, and we look forward to keeping this conversation going. We encourage them to go further, for the sake of our members, our families and our neighbors.

“We will continue to do everything we can to keep creating jobs for SMART members and Americans nationwide, and we encourage all agencies to support the use of PLAs on all federally funded projects.”

Members can read the memo here.

The Department of Energy recently canceled $3.7 billion in awards for various energy projects, including a project in Mitchell, Indiana, that had employed Local 20 sheet metal workers.

“These major energy projects were creating jobs for SMART members and American construction workers. Now, after the Department of Energy’s announcement, those jobs have been taken away,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “That’s bad for our members, our families and our country. We’re urging the Department of Energy to reverse this decision and put American workers back on the job.”

Members can learn more here and here.

Following reporting by ABC News that Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being returned to the United States from El Salvador, SMART General President Michael Coleman released the following statement:

“Since March, our demand has not changed: Kilmar Abrego Garcia must be returned to the United States and receive his right to due process. This is a right granted to every person in our country.

“This fight isn’t about one man — it’s about ensuring our constitutional rights are protected, for the sake of all SMART members and everyone in this country. If one person’s right to due process is denied, all our rights are in danger.”

The spending bill recently passed by the United States House of Representatives includes nearly $700 billion in cuts to Medicaid — a move that could have serious consequences for SMART members alongside working families across the country.

“These cuts will affect our members directly at the bargaining table and in their wallets,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “Health care costs rise year after year, but when Medicaid is slashed, health care providers and insurance companies will shift even more of the burden onto high-quality plans like ours. That means even higher premiums, rising deductibles and increased out-of-pocket costs. Our members are already doing their part — this would make it even more expensive just to hold onto the care they’ve earned.

“Medicaid provides health coverage for millions of Americans, including many SMART members’ spouses and children. For families who rely on a combination of employer-provided benefits and public programs like Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), these cuts threaten their access to the care they need. It’s not just about coverage — it’s about stability for our families.

“As the bill advances to the Senate, SMART is actively working with congressional leaders to make sure our members continue to have access to affordable, high-quality health care. We urge senators to improve this legislation by maintaining full funding for Medicaid, which plays a critical role in keeping health care costs manageable for working families.”

The spending bill passed by the United States House of Representatives includes more than $500 billion in cuts to tax credits and infrastructure funding that help finance construction projects. In response, SMART General President Michael Coleman said:

“As written, this spending bill will take work away from SMART members, and it will hurt our country’s national interests. Developers and end users rely on tax credits and infrastructure funding to make sure construction projects are completed. Without that money, projects including nuclear, hydrogen and battery facilities get canceled, and SMART members lose their jobs.

“SMART is working with members of Congress to fix this. We are making sure senators know that these tax credits keep union sheet metal workers on the job so we can provide a stable future for our families.  

“We will keep fighting for our members’ jobs, and we urge the Senate to stand with our members by fixing this bill and keeping these tax credits in place.”

On Thursday, April 10, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision that backed a federal judge’s order requiring the government to facilitate the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to the United States. SMART General President Michael Coleman issued the following statement in response:

“Since last week, our demand has been a simple one — one that echoed the calls of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia’s family, community and allies: Bring Kilmar home and give him the due process that is his right.

“It’s been weeks since Kilmar, a sheet metal apprentice working hard to pursue the American dream, was mistakenly deported. Over those weeks, in what has been a heartbreaking and terrifying time for Kilmar’s family, we have seen Americans from coast to coast raise their voices against Kilmar’s deportation. And in the midst of that outcry, the United States justice system instructed the government, again and again, to bring Kilmar back to the U.S.

“In court last Friday, U.S. Department of Justice attorney Erez Reuveni admitted that there was nothing in the record to support ICE apprehending and deporting Abrego Garcia. The federal district court judge who heard Kilmar’s case stated she ‘[hadn’t] been given any evidence’ to support the government’s allegation of gang affiliation and ordered the government to bring Kilmar home. On Monday, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit unanimously denied the government’s request for a stay. And yesterday, the United States Supreme Court reaffirmed the government’s responsibility to facilitate Kilmar’s return from El Salvador.

“Our call is unchanged, and it is now backed by the Supreme Court: The government must bring Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia home and grant him due process. We are overjoyed for Kilmar and his family, and we look forward to the Trump administration taking immediate steps to bring him back to the U.S.”

Following Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts’ decision to temporarily stay a federal district court order to return Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to the United States by 11:59pm tonight, SMART General President Michael Coleman issued the following statement:

“In court Friday, U.S. Department of Justice attorney Erez Reuveni admitted that there was nothing in the record to support ICE apprehending and deporting Abrego Garcia. The federal district court judge who heard Kilmar’s case stated she ‘[hadn’t] been given any evidence’ to support the government’s allegation of gang affiliation and ordered the government to bring Kilmar home by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 7. And earlier today, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit unanimously denied the government’s request for a stay. Circuit Judge Thacker aptly described what is at stake in Kilmar’s case, writing that:

‘The United States Government has no legal authority to snatch a person who is lawfully present in the United States off the street and remove him from the country without due process. The Government’s contention otherwise, and its argument that the federal courts are powerless to intervene, are unconscionable.’

“Now, instead of fixing the error the federal government has acknowledged making by bringing Kilmar home, the government has taken the matter to the Supreme Court. Today, Chief Justice Roberts temporarily stayed the order.

“We are devastated for Kilmar and his family that his return has been delayed. But our call remains unchanged: The Trump administration must bring Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia home and grant him the due process that is his right.”

Following an April 4, 2025, press conference regarding the deportation of SMART Local 100 apprentice Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, General President Michael Coleman issued the following statement:

“The principle of due process is one of the fundamental values our nation is founded upon. Every single person in America has the right to due process, the right to face one’s accusers — the guarantee that no one shall be ‘deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law.’

“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 — just like we would, and we always will, fight for the rights of every single SMART member. 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.”