More than 35,000 people have signed a petition vowing to boycott Avelo after the announcement. Anne Watkins is with the New Haven Immigrants’ Coalition, who organized the petition. She says the goal is to get Avelo to cancel the contract:
“If they choose to put profit over humanity, we will demand that they leave New Haven and that they leave Connecticut. We are not going to support Avelo if they are flying ICE Air.”
A video from a former Avelo flight attendant shows that the airline has chartered deportation flights before–it shows detainees shuffling down the aisle of a plane in shackles before the video pans to the Avelo logo.
When asked about this video, an Avelo representative says the airline chartered the flights under the Biden administration, and “Regardless of the administration or party affiliation, as a U.S. flag carrier, when our country calls and requests assistance, our practice is to say yes.”
Avelo’s decision comes as the Trump administration faces anger over its refusal to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador. For some, this is a way to fight back. About a hundred and fifty people gathered at Tweed New Haven Airport to protest Avelo’s contract with ICE last Thursday.
“I ask and I demand that my officials do exactly what we voted them to do…to stand against an administration that has abused their power at this point and that has refused to follow people’s constitutional rights–and it’s not just constitutional rights, it’s human rights,” says Ana Juarez of New Haven Immigrants. She said the plan is dehumanizing and would put deportees in danger.
“How can you shackle the hundreds of people that you are planning to shackle? And then how are you to help these people if an emergency were to arrive?
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut also spoke at the protest.
“You know when a plane takes off in the winter, they have to de-ice the wings–Avelo has to de-ICE its wings. Get rid of ICE”
After gathering for speeches from government officials and activists, protesters marched down the sidewalk on Burr Street to picket at the intersection leading into Tweed Airport.
The state of Connecticut has supported Avelo with a gas tax break for the past two years, but the airline has cited falling profits in Connecticut as a driver behind their decision. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong wrote Avelo an open letter grilling them over the legality of the deportations.
“So your solution to your business challenges is to make money off of hurting people? Not acceptable…not by a longshot,” Tong added. “It shocks the conscience that … they would be a party to this sort of activity, we have been very supportive of Avelo–we want Avelo to be successful, we certainly don’t want them assisting unlawful stuff.”
Avelo’s President said Tong seemed to have what he called “a fundamental misunderstanding of how the federal government contracts” the flights. He told Tong he’d have to file a Freedom of Information act for any details.
Connecticut Republicans chair Ben Proto says it’s not Avelo’s job to determine how the flights are operated.
“They don’t get involved in who gets on the plane or who doesn’t get on the plane. Their job is to fly the plane from point A to point B.”
Proto did not provide a circumstance in which he believes Avelo should not operate a flight, even when asked about deporting U.S. citizens, which the Trump administration has mentioned as a possibility.
“Avelo is not hurting people. What hurt are they imposing on anybody?”
Proto is also concerned for the potential economic impact if Avelo chooses to leave Connecticut:
“We have enough problems trying to create jobs…and William Tong is trying to take away more jobs simply because he doesn’t agree with the policy of the federal government”
A representative from Tong’s office responded in writing, saying “Shackling children and transporting them to jungle prisons is not a legitimate business or job creation strategy.”
Additionally, some have raised concerns about the safety of deportation flights, where passengers are shackled. Avelo has posted an application for flight attendants in Mesa, Arizona. The posting says the position will include both domestic and international flights to support the Department of Homeland Security’s deportation efforts.
Ana Juarez of the New Haven Immigrants’ Coalition has raised concerns:
“How can you shackle the hundreds of people that you are planning to shackle? And then how are you to help these people if an emergency were to arrive?”
The airline declined to answer direct questioning about passenger safety, instead noting the airline defers to DHS and FAA guidelines. The FAA said they defer to DHS. The DHS and ICE have not responded to multiple requests for comment, but a 2015 copy of the ICE Air Operations Hand Detainees Handbook says those transported by ICE Air aircraft will be fully restrained by the use of handcuffs, waist chains, and leg irons.”
Hassan Shahidi, the President and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, says that deportation flights are regulated under international law.
“Generally, the security officers on these flights are trained specifically for this type of operations–they go through training and ensuring that in cases if emergency, how to deal with the situation and unshackle the handcuffs”
ProPublica released a report in early April detailing the concerns of past flight attendants on deportation flights. The FAA operates under a longstanding “90 second rule” stating that passengers should be able to evacuate in ninety seconds if needed. In one case operated by a carrier called World Atlantic, it took shackled passengers seven minutes to depart the plane.
Since Avelo Airlines has repeatedly directed concerns to DHS and ICE, it isn’t clear what safety training they will be providing to avoid incidents like this one. The DHS has not responded to multiple requests for comment on the safety precautions they will provide for Avelo flights.
As thousands say they will boycott Avelo, and state government support wavers, the budget airline’s future as “Connecticut’s Hometown Airline” hangs in the balance.
