Avelo Launches ICE Deportation Flights Amid Protests
Avelo Airlines has drawn fierce criticism after beginning deportation flights under a newly signed contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The carrier’s first removal flight departed Mesa Gateway Airport, near Phoenix, on May 12, 2025, using one of three Boeing 737-800s that Avelo announced in April it would allocate to ICE operations. While the airline has confirmed its agreement to conduct federal deportation charters, the financial terms and specific destinations remain undisclosed.
Approval of the contract aligns with the Trump administration’s intensified focus on immigration enforcement, prompting swift backlash from community groups and activists. A Change.org petition demanding that Avelo halt its deportation services has already amassed nearly 38,000 signatures, accusing the airline of facilitating “cruel deportation practices.” Protesters gathered outside airports in both Arizona and Connecticut on the day of the inaugural flight, underscoring the depth of opposition.
In Mesa, Arizona, more than 30 demonstrators staged a roadside vigil outside the main entrance to Mesa Gateway Airport. They carried signs denouncing the airline’s role in forced removals and demanding better treatment for undocumented immigrants. Fifteen hundred miles to the northeast, approximately 150 people rallied outside Tweed New Haven Airport in Connecticut—one of Avelo’s key Northeast bases—chanting slogans and distributing flyers urging travelers to boycott the carrier.
“We need to cause some economic damage to the company to really convince them that they should be on the side of the people and not with the government,” said John Jairo Lugo, co-founder and community organizing director of Unidad Latina en Acción in New Haven. Lugo emphasized that public pressure and lost ticket revenue are the most effective tools communities have to influence corporate behavior.
Avelo, founded in 2021 as part of a wave of new low-cost entrants in the U.S. market, typically operates domestic routes within the continental United States. Its agreement to fly ICE deportation charters represents a significant departure from its consumer-focused business model. The airline has maintained that the decision to partner with ICE was made to diversify operations and build a reliable charter segment. Yet it has not released details on how much ICE will pay per flight or how frequently the service will run.
Immigrant-rights organizations warn that deportation charters often subject detainees to dehumanizing conditions, with passengers—who may include asylum seekers and long-term residents—facing limited access to legal counsel and medical care during transit. Advocates are calling on Avelo to end the contract before more flights carry detainees to their home countries, where many risk persecution or hardship.
Legal experts note that airlines are under no obligation to refuse government charters, but public outrage has forced carriers in the past to reconsider such partnerships. Record-high bookings for Avelo’s leisure routes have demonstrated strong demand for its low-fare offerings; activists hope that a sustained boycott could tip the scales.
Avelo’s management has so far declined interviews, issuing brief statements that it “complies with all applicable laws and regulations” and “takes pride in serving a variety of charter clients.” The airline has emphasized that ICE flights represent only a fraction of its total operations, but the brand impact could be far greater, as customers weigh ethical considerations in their choice of carrier.
As the petition gains steam and protests continue at key gateways, Avelo faces a test of its corporate values and public image. Should passenger cancellations and negative press mount, the airline may be forced to renegotiate or terminate its ICE contract. For now, the first deportation flight marks the beginning of what promises to be a prolonged struggle between border-control policy and grassroots advocacy.
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