Avelo Airlines ends ICE deportation flights, closes Phoenix Mesa base
Avelo Airlines will end participation in the DHS charter deportation‑flight program and close its Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport base on Jan. 27, saying the subcontracted ICE work provided only short‑term benefits and did not produce consistent, predictable revenue to offset operational complexity. DHS clarified ICE never contracted directly with Avelo — which flew as a subcontractor to CSI Aviation — and will continue using its contractors and other carriers such as GlobalX (which handled more than half of DHS charter flights in 2025); Avelo’s decision came amid activist and elected‑official pressure, and the airline plans a Dallas base in late 2026 while maintaining its low‑cost route network.
📌 Key Facts
- Avelo Airlines will end participation in the DHS charter deportation-flight program and close its Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport base on January 27.
- Avelo said the ICE-related charter work provided only short-term benefits and did not generate consistent, predictable revenue to offset its operational complexity and costs.
- The Department of Homeland Security clarified ICE never contracted directly with Avelo; Avelo flew deportation missions as a subcontractor to CSI Aviation, and ICE will continue using its contracted service provider and other airlines such as GlobalX.
- Human Rights First’s ICE Flight Monitor shows GlobalX handled more than half of DHS charter flights in 2025.
- Activist group Indivisible Project says months of organizing and alleged sales declines pressured Avelo to walk away from the deportation-flight business.
- Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey invoked Avelo’s withdrawal as a precedent in a letter urging GlobalX Airlines and Eastern Air Express to end their ICE deportation flight contracts and specifically tied her request to the recent Minneapolis ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good.
- Avelo’s decision has become part of a broader political campaign by Democratic officials to pressure private carriers to stop providing ICE flights.
- Avelo plans to open a new base in Dallas in late 2026 and will continue low-cost service to dozens of destinations, including the Caribbean, from its four existing U.S. hubs.
📊 Relevant Data
In FY 2025 through September 2025, immigrants from Mexico topped the list of nationalities with the largest number ordered deported, followed by those from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Venezuela, with only 23.7% of immigrants overall receiving representation in immigration court.
Immigration Court Quick Facts — TRAC Reports
US economic sanctions on Venezuela, particularly the 'maximum pressure' campaign, have fueled a significant exodus, with estimates suggesting that a return to such sanctions could cause an additional 3.8 million Venezuelans to emigrate by 2030.
Economic Sanctions: A Root Cause of Migration - Summary — CEPR
Mass deportations of unauthorized immigrants are projected to reduce US GDP by 4.2% to 6.3% annually, eliminate millions of jobs including those held by US-born workers, and lead to labor shortages particularly in construction and child care, while potentially increasing wages for some low-skilled authorized workers.
Trump's deportation agenda will destroy millions of jobs — Economic Policy Institute
Metro Phoenix's population grew by nearly 85,000 people between 2023 and 2024, largely due to international migration, contributing to Arizona's 13.2% foreign-born population.
Phoenix's population grew in 2024 — thanks to migration — Axios
Recent US immigration policies, including the revocation of Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans, have impacted migration from Latin America, with border apprehensions and deportations fluctuating amid increased enforcement spending.
US Immigration Policy's Impact on Latin America: 3 Charts — Americas Society/Council of the Americas
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Avelo will close its base at Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport on January 27 and will simultaneously end participation in the DHS charter deportation-flight program.
- The airline says the ICE-related charter program provided only short-term benefits and ultimately did not generate consistent, predictable revenue to offset its operational complexity and costs.
- DHS clarifies that ICE never contracted directly with Avelo; instead, Avelo flew deportation missions as a subcontractor to CSI Aviation, and ICE will continue using its contracted service provider and other airlines such as GlobalX.
- Human Rights First’s ICE Flight Monitor data indicate GlobalX handled more than half of DHS charter flights in 2025.
- Indivisible Project, which led protests against Avelo’s deportation flights, claims months of organizing and alleged sales declines pressured Avelo to walk away from the business.
- Avelo plans to open a new base in Dallas in late 2026 while continuing low‑cost flights to dozens of destinations, including the Caribbean, from four existing U.S. hubs.
- Gov. Maura Healey is now invoking Avelo’s withdrawal as a precedent in a new letter urging GlobalX Airlines and Eastern Air Express to also end their ICE deportation flight contracts.
- Healey specifically ties her request to the recent Minneapolis ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good and characterizes ICE deportation flights as separating people from communities and counsel 'without due process.'
- The article reinforces that Avelo’s move has become part of a broader political campaign by Democratic officials to pressure private carriers away from ICE work.