The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) is a federal law that protects the rights of employees to form and join unions, engage in collective bargaining, and strike. This applies to ALL employees, regardless of their immigration status.
This is critical because, as the assault and attack on the inhumane treatment of immigrants is rising, this important piece of national legislation is a tool that unions and socially conscious people alike can use to help fight ICE’s ruthless assault.
In March 2025, when Kilmar Abrego Garcia was unlawfully and viciously deported to El Salvador, his Union, Local 100 of SMART (Sheet Metal, Air Rail & Transportation Workers) joined the fight to secure his return, demanding, along with hundreds of thousands around the country, justice for their union Brother.
Likewise, earlier this spring, Rameysa Ozturk, a PhD student from Rutgers, was seized by masked undercover ICE agents for penning an opinion piece accusing Israel of war crimes. Her Union, SEIU, held solidarity rallies around the country on her behalf until her release was secured.
Labor unions are still critical organizations of resistance, as are the ACLU, student organizations, mass mobilizations, and all who recognize the dismantling of democracy. Today, local unions are taking leadership in the fight by negotiating language into their agreements prohibiting ICE from setting foot inside the workplace.
SEIU, Ramevsa’s union advocated actively for her release from ICE detention.
Below, BTU union leader demands their member, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, be freed from ICE detention.
Claire McClinton is a Flint resident and UAW retiree.
