Civic Organizations Protest against Avelo’s Deportation Flights at Wrightsville Beach

A coalition of civic organizations such as the Immigrants Companions Assembly, Wilmington Resists and the Wilmington Branch of the Democratic Socialists of the United States organized a conspicuous demonstration at the entryway to Wrightsville Beach, urging holidaymakers to ‘navigate by their principles’. One of the key coordinators highlighted that they deliberately picked the location intending to reach out to the maximum number of voyagers, informing them about the agreement Avelo had signed with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to facilitate deportation flights earlier this year.

The coordinator added, ‘It’s common knowledge that Avelo is utilizing funds from the county to advertise vacation destinations such as Wilmington, persuading individuals to spend their holiday here. However, we intend for the travelers to fully comprehend the implications of their choice – to recognize that even with inexpensive tickets come potentially severe consequences on human rights.’ Avelo Airlines, an economical service provider, connects 23 states in its network and in April the carrier launched a new operating base in Wilmington.

Since its inception in the city, multi-faceted protests have been taking place on a regular basis. The first wave of dissent against Avelo took place in May right outside the airport, yet it was this week that saw the joint nationwide campaign aiming to apply ‘commercial pressure’ on the carrier stemming from the controversial agreement. The major objective of the campaign is to communicate that this issue has gone beyond local concern and has escalated into a nationwide demonstration, involving all cities where Avelo maintains a presence.

A participant in the protest explained, ‘Avelo Airlines happens to be the only commercial provider contracted to ICE for deportation flights. They transport individuals from Arizona for deportation to El Salvador. Our plea to the public is a simple one – to abstain from availing themselves of Avelo services.’ Although there is a lack of common consensus on the issue of immigration, and shifting public opinion could be challenging, both local and national activists harbor the hope that travelers might reconsider their air carrier choice.

One protester claimed, ‘We are starting to notice an impact—we are actually making a difference. Just a few weeks back, Avelo scaled down their service, cutting back some of their flights, particularly non-local ones.’ The ultimate objective of this protest is to produce significant changes within the local community. Avelo Airlines, defending its collaboration with ICE, referenced financial stability as a vital factor to consider.

In an attempt to obtain and verify accurate information, a key representative from one of the aforementioned activist groups forwarded a public request for records to the New Hanover County Airport Authority. After several weeks, he received a response from the Deputy Airport Director stating that the Airport Authority had not allocated any direct funds to Avelo or approved any budget amendments in their favor.

The representative also procured a copy of Avelo’s lease agreement at ILM, which was stated to be a ‘standard agreement applicable to all airlines operating at ILM.’ An additional attachment detailed the authority’s incentive program that was obtainable by all flying services. However, through a series of email exchanges, it was confirmed that local marketing funds had indeed been used to promote Avelo flights and ILM Airport ever since Avelo began its operations.

Avelo’s operations in the area have undeniably had a considerable economic impact. One protestor expressed skepticism, explaining, ‘It strains credulity to attribute a significant portion of the $1.1 billion tourist spending in New Hanover County in 2023 to Avelo, especially given that the county’s annual GDP was less than $20 billion in the latest fiscal year.

The protestor critiqued the situation further by saying, ‘More importantly, we must address the more pressing ethical issue at hand. Are we as a community prepared to turn a blind eye to Avelo’s involvement in controversial deportation flights purely because we reap an economic benefit from their other operations? Are we ready to sacrifice our ethics, if the deportation flights persist?’