According to the company’s founder, budget airline Avelo Airlines signed an agreement that flew federal deportation flights from Arizona starting in May.
The company’s CEO Andrew Levy said Avelo is flying for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s immigration control and law enforcement agency, part of a “long-term charter program” to support the agency’s deportation efforts. He said the company believes the move will help expand and protect efforts.
“We realized it was a sensitive and complex topic,” Levi said in a statement.
Avelo said in a statement that domestic and international flights will be supported by three Boeing 737-800 aircraft and will be on MesaGateway flights.
On the Arizona business’ online job listing, Avelo notes: “Flying will be international and international travel to support the deportation efforts of the DHS.”
Tom Cartwright, a flight data analyst at Border Advocacy, closely following social media feeds in the immigration community, said he didn’t know that he had no other commercial airlines for ICE to offer such ice flights to ICE as he had been tracking flights over the past five years. He called Avelo’s decision “unusual” considering the franchise that the public may not have heard of.
“They may fly with all immigration or deportation flights today and may bring fans to the Masters golf tournament tomorrow,” he said. “They do not sell tickets in retail like Avelo.”
Democratic mayor Justin Elicker flew out of Tweed New Haven Airport in New Haven, Connecticut, and he called Levy over the weekend to voice objection to the arrangement and urged the CEO to reconsider.
“Avelo Airlines’ decision to rent deportation flights from Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona is disappointing and disturbing,” Elkell said in a statement.
“Travel should be about bringing people together, not making the family tear apart,” he added.
An immigration rights group in New Haven urged people to sign an online petition pledging to boycott the airline.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
