Various community organizations such as the Allies for Immigrants Forum, Wilmington’s Indivisible group, and the city’s branch of the Democratic Socialists of America have staged demonstrations along the road to Wrightsville Beach, advocating for vacationers to ‘soar with their beliefs.’ The protest’s strategists selected this location as a conduit to inform the maximum number of people about Avelo’s disturbing collaboration with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), conducting deportations earlier this year.
“Our county funds have been diverted to market Wilmington and its attractions to Avelo’s prospective passengers. The goal is tangibly clear: to help them make a fully aware choice. They must acknowledge that their low-priced tickets might be associated with a substantial violation of human rights,” voices one of the staunch organizers.
Avelo Airlines, a budget airline with a network that spans 23 states, set up a new operational base in Wilmington in April. The city has since been a hive of protests targeting this budget carrier. Their first demonstration was in May, directly facing the airport which is now marked as a strategic location to carry out these actions.
This week, however, the protest holds a special significance as part of a national campaign, aiming to ‘apply economic stimulus’ against Avelo following their deal with ICE. The campaign organizer elucidated, “Today’s protest isn’t confined to us or this city but is a nationwide opposition. Protests like these are occurring in multiple cities where Avelo carries its operation.”
One demonstrator clarified Avelo’s unique association with ICE: “Avelo Airlines is a commercial carrier. It’s distinctive because it’s the sole commercial airline that holds a contract with ICE, facilitating deportation flights from Arizona to El Salvador. We simply want people to be aware and, if possible, avoid supporting them.”
The issue of immigration is one of diverse opinions, and altering people’s conviction about it isn’t easy. Nonetheless, advocates across the country aim to encourage travelers to reconsider their airline choice. One protestor’s optimistic about the result, saying, “It appears to be having an effect. Avelo did cancel some flights a few weeks ago, downsized some of its destinations. Not in Wilmington, but in other parts of the country.”
There’s a hopeful perspective that these local movements might instigate significant changes locally. Avelo, however, stands its ground regarding its collaboration with ICE, stating financial stability as their primary justification.
A steering committee member of one of these advocacy groups submitted a public records inquiry to the New Hanover County Airport Authority. After a couple of months, the subsequent revelation by the Deputy Director of the Airport is surprising: Avelo received no specific funding from the Airport Authority nor did it receive any approved budget increments.
The deputy director also provided details regarding Avelo’s lease agreement, claiming that they follow the usual agreement protocols as any airline operating out of ILM, in addition to an outline of the airport’s incentive program, which is universally accessible to all operating airlines.
Following a series of email correspondences, the deputy director conceded that local marketing funding was used to promote Avelo and ILM Airport since Avelo began its operations. The arrival of Avelo and the subsequent marketing has indeed affected the local economy.
One protestor was quick to question these apparent benefits, pointing out, “Data indicating a total tourism expenditure in New Hanover County of $1.1 billion in 2023. The county’s total annual GDP in the last reported fiscal year was below $20 billion, so attributing a major portion of economic activity to Avelo seems hard to justify.”
The protestor added: “Nonetheless, this doesn’t address the actual ethical dilemma; are we willing to turn a blind eye to Avelo’s role in illicit and inhumane deportation flights just because the county profits from their other undertakings? What is the value we are ascribing to our collective ethics if we continue to tolerate these deportation flights?”
The post Community Protests Against Avelo’s ICE-Deportation Flights appeared first on Real News Now.
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