Protests against Avelo Airlines are set to continue at airports in a variety of states, including Connecticut, where the budget airline operates.
On Sunday, Dec. 28, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., a myriad of immigrant rights groups plan to gather outside Tweed-New Haven Airport to speak out again against Avelo being a part of the Trump administration’s heightened deportation efforts this year across the U.S.
Protests are also planned that day at airports in Florida, Maryland, Michigan and North Carolina, according to organizers.
Tweed airport itself is not among the sites where Avelo has run deportation flights, but it’s the state’s main hub for the airline. James Salsich, a Connecticut resident, is a member of MA/CT Stop Avelo, one of several groups organizing the action in New Haven.
“This is about refusing to normalize what's happening,” Salsich said. “We want to stand out there and make people aware that what is going on is highly immoral.”
The news of Avelo agreeing to charter flights for ICE was made public in April, and Salsich says opposition quickly arose in New Haven. Since then, people across the U.S. have rallied to demand that the airline stop working with ICE.
As of Friday, over 40,200 people have signed onto a change.org pledge not to fly Avelo Airlines until that happens.
“We recognize the right of individuals to peacefully assemble and assert their freedom of speech.” Avelo communications director Courtney Goff said in an email.
Echoing similar statements that New Hampshire Public Radio first reported last month, Goff said Avelo has no contract with ICE, but is contracted through a third party, CSI Aviation. That company was awarded a contract with the Department of Homeland Security to facilitate immigration removals.
In April, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong asked Avelo for a copy of its contract to conduct the deportation flights, asking about operating flights while non-violent passengers are restrained, or involving passengers without a valid order of removal from the country. Avelo’s letter in response did not answer those questions.
On Friday, Tong said his office still doesn’t have the transparency that they need.
“I think we have to constantly re-examine our partnership with Avelo here in Connecticut,” Tong said. “I have been very disappointed that the leadership of Avelo have essentially given us the [middle] finger, frankly, and that's not a way to do business with the state of Connecticut and the people that use and support the airport.”
Connecticut’s main hub for Avelo flights is the Tweed-New Haven airport. Come Jan. 25, Avelo will no longer operate out of Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Hartford, as the CT Post reported, the airline said it chose to end its short time there due to lack of demand.
Tong said he would continue to try to hold Avelo accountable, especially since state and local governments have helped the airline’s expansion into the Nutmeg state.
Organizers of the protest Sunday at Tweed-New Haven said this action was timed out intentionally, to reach people during the high-traffic holiday travel. According to Salsich, it’s also meant to draw attention to how people who have been detained or deported are not with their own families at this time.
“Who will stand up for them?” Salsich said. “We will. And so will others who will stand with us on this Sunday.”
