U.S. low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines is ending migrant deportation flights for the Department of Homeland Security, citing political controversy.
As part of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, the Houston-based airline started working as a subcontractor to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement early last year.
Avelo "will conclude all participation in the DHS charter program," an Avelo representative informed The Independent on Friday.
The airline, which debuted in 2021, is one of several airlines that operate deportation flights, along with Eastern Air Express and GlobalX. It conducted 17% of all ICE deportation flights in November, according to WHYY.
“The program provided short-term benefits but ultimately did not deliver enough consistent and predictable revenue to overcome its operational complexity and costs,”
the spokesperson said.
The Democratic governor of Massachusetts, Maura Healey, demanded that other airlines that have contracts with ICE stop operating after the ruling, accusing them of impeding due process.
A request for comment was not immediately answered by a representative of ICE, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
“We moved a portion of our fleet into a government program which promised more financial stability but placed us in the center of a political controversy,”
CEO Andrew Levy wrote to employees in an email earlier this week, CNBC reported.
“We did not see an impact regarding Customers choosing to fly Avelo,”
the airline said.
The Avelo flight attendant union applauded the decision.
“This is exactly what we told management from the beginning ― ICE flying would be bad for the airline!”
the union said Wednesday in an Instagram post.
“Good that it is finally ending.”
The airline's separation from ICE coincides with increased scrutiny of federal immigration authorities in the wake of recent agent shootings.
A driver was shot and killed by an ICE agent on a Minneapolis roadway on Wednesday. Local and state officials claimed the agent was acting carelessly, while Trump administration officials blamed the motorist, a 37-year-old mother of three, of trying to ram the agent.
Two drivers, a husband and wife, were shot by Portland Border Patrol officers on Thursday and taken to a hospital. According to DHS, the motorist attempted to run the agents over and is thought to be a member of the Tren de Aragua gang in Venezuela.
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