A coalition of advocacy groups like Immigrant Allies Forum, Indivisible Wilmington, and Democratic Socialists of America’s Wilmington Chapter assembled along the approach to Wrightsville Beach. Their collective call to holidaymakers was to align their travel choices with their personal beliefs. The choice of venue for the demonstration was strategic, intending to inform as many tourists as possible about Avelo’s controversial collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) undertook earlier this year to operate deportation flights.
“We learned that local funds were allocated to Avelo for advertising Wilmington and other destinations to stimulate tourist interest,” one of the protest organizers explained, “Our objective is to inform passengers. We want them to comprehend that a cheap flight ticket might have a profound human rights cost.” Avelo Airlines, a budget-friendly airline serving 23 states, established an operational base in Wilmington in April.
From the time Avelo set foot in the city, protest activities began to surge, with the first protest against Avelo transpiring directly outside the airport in May. But it was only recently that these individual efforts morphed into a national campaign. The collective intent is to impose commercial strains against the airline for its accord with ICE.
“This has now escalated to a national level where we are participating in today’s nationwide demonstration,” says a demonstrator, “Similar activities are happening across the country, especially in cities where Avelo conducts operations.” Another activist clarified: “Avelo Airlines is a commercial entity and stands as the singular commercial airline with an ICE contract. They operate deportation flights from Arizona to El Salvador. Our purpose is to influence people to abstain from using their services.”
While nationwide consensus on immigration remains elusive and swaying popular opinion on the matter is no easy task, advocates both local and nationwide are hopeful to cause at least a change in travelers’ airline choice. “The strategy appears to be yielding results,” according to one protester. Not long ago, Avelo ceased operations on certain flights and reduced some of its footprints, although not in Wilmington, but other parts of the country.
These local endeavors look to incite significant shifts in the operations here. Avelo, in its defense, has justified its decision to collaborate with ICE, referencing the necessity for a stable financial base. A leading member from an advocacy group placed a public record request with the New Hanover County Airport Authority.
After a few months, the Deputy Airport Director at last informed him that the Airport Authority neither allocated any funds to Avelo nor approved any budget amendments for the airline. The Deputy Director dispatched a copy of Avelo’s lease agreement, maintaining that it is equivalent to other airlines operating at ILM. He also included details of the airport authority’s incentive program, available to all airlines.
However, subsequent correspondence confirmed that local marketing funding has been spent to advertise Avelo flights and ILM Airport since Avelo’s initiation. Avelo’s operations have had a substantial influence on Wilmington’s local economy.
One protester questioned this, citing, “Where it becomes difficult to reconcile is when you consider that total tourist spending in New Hanover County amounted to $1.1 billion in 2023. Whereas, the county’s overall annual GDP was notably less than $20 billion in the last fiscal year—Avelo’s contribution to this level of economic activity seems improbable.”
He added, “However, focusing on this economic impact misses the real ethical question at stake. Are we willing to turn a blind eye towards Avelo’s involvement in illegal and inhumane deportation flights just because the local economy may be benefiting from their other operations? What price tag do we attach to our collective conscience if we silently allow these deportations flights to continue?”
The post Advocacy Groups Align Against Avelo’s Deportation Flights appeared first on Real News Now.
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