GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines is facing a national and statewide backlash after entering into a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to operate deportation flights that started in May. While Avelo says the partnership helps support its operations and maintain jobs, immigration advocates across Michigan and the rest of the United States, are calling for a boycott.
Although officials at both the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids and the Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City have stated that their flights don’t include “deportation” flights, immigration advocates continue to voice strong opposition to the airline being at the airports at all.
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The protests against Avelo Airlines have included Grand Rapids, where members of GR Rapid Response to ICE staged a demonstration at Gerald R. Ford International Airport. Dressed in orange jumpsuits and with their hands tied, activists recreated a mock arrest to draw attention to Avelo’s involvement in deportation efforts.
Activists demand accountability and action.
Jeff Smith, a lead organizer in Grand Rapids, along with other activists, is urging local airport authorities to use their influence and publicly denounce the contract. While federal law requires airports to provide access to any legal commercial airline, activists argue that public pressure can still make a difference.
“It’s not like they’ve been operating out of Kent County for a long time,” Smith said. “We think that also works to our advantage, if we can get that kind of pressure applied quickly.”
The 50501 organization, a national anti-Trump protest group, is also in the mix, urging Grand Rapids residents to take their message to the Kent County Airport board of directors.
Traverse City and Detroit join the protest.
The campaign has spread beyond Grand Rapids, with advocacy groups coordinating protests in Traverse City and Detroit, the two other airports in the state where Avelo operates. In Traverse City, members of Leelanau Indivisible protested outside Cherry Capital Airport at the end of May, and in Detroit, about 50 demonstrators from Western Wayne Indivisible and Downriver United 734 gathered near Detroit Metro Airport.
Airport officials in all three cities have stated that none of Avelo’s ICE-related flights operate from Michigan, emphasizing that the deportation charters originate from Avelo’s Phoenix-Mesa base. Still, that hasn’t stopped local groups from calling attention to the airline’s broader role in deportation flights.
A national movement with local momentum.
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A nationwide coalition, dubbed the Coalition to Stop Avelo, has formed to protest the airline’s decision to work with ICE. The group is encouraging travelers to boycott all Avelo flights until the airline terminates its contract with the federal government.
As deportation flights have increased – reaching a high of 190 in May alone – advocacy groups say this moment represents more than just one airline’s decision. They view it as part of a larger conversation about immigration enforcement, corporate responsibility, and the role local communities can play.
“We’ve built a much more robust, stronger network” Smith said. “And we’re fully prepared to continue the campaign as long as we need to engage for it to be successful.”
