Several local preservative assemblies such as the Ally Forum for Immigrants, the Wilmington Indivisible, and the Democratic Socialists of America’s Wilmington Chapter, set their demonstrations on the road to Wrightsville Beach. Their banners urged vacationers to ‘uphold their principles’. They had carefully selected this route with an intent to alert as many tourists as they could about the alliance Avelo had formed with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this year to facilitate deportation flights.
“Our understanding is that local funds have been pumped into Avelo’s marketing campaign promoting Wilmington and other sites to attract more vacationers. We are determined to ensure that these tourists recognize that a cheap flight ticket might have deep-seated implications in terms of linking to violations of human rights,” remarked one of the protest coordinators.
Avelo Airlines operates as a low-budget carrier, providing services across 23 states. In April, they launched a new operational base in Wilmington. Ever since these developments, the city has witnessed multiple protests against their actions.
The protest against Avelo first took place in front of the airport premises in May. However, this week’s demonstration was part of a national drive targeted to inflict ‘commercial stress’ on the airlines since the inception of the deal. “As part of our nationwide campaign, we have triggered multiple protests across cities where Avelo has a stronghold,” affirmed one of the protesters.
“Avelo Airlines functions as a commercial entity. They are the only commercial carrier that has tied-up with ICE. They proceed with deportation flights originating from Arizona towards El Salvador. Hence, we’re sending a message to public to boycott their service,” elaborated a protester.
While the issue of immigration isn’t uniformly viewed or agreed upon and influencing people’s cognizance to it may be challenging, activists locally and on the national level strive to at least encourage travelers to reconsider their choice of airline. “And it appears to be making an impact,” suggests an activist. “A few weeks back, Avelo had to cancel a few flights, reduce some routes – and though not in Wilmington – but in other parts of the country.”
The local activists are optimistic that they can facilitate substantial changes. Avelo, for its part, has put up a defense for its decision to collaborate with ICE, justifying it as a step towards financial sustainability.
The steering committee member of one of the advocacy groups submitted a public records request to the New Hanover County Airport Authority. Several months later, the Deputy Airport Director confirmed that the Airport Authority didn’t dedicate any funds to Avelo nor did they pass any budget alterations benefiting the airline.
He also shared a copy of the lease agreement with Avelo, which he indicated is a norm with all other airlines that operate at the ILM Airport. He integrated an attachment detailing the authority’s incentive scheme, which is extended to all airlines. However, after an elaborate email conversation, he confirmed that local marketing funding has indeed helped in promoting Avelo flights and operations at the ILM Airport since the start of its operations.
Since Avelo has commenced its operations, it has substantially impacted the local economy. Nevertheless, one of the protestors questioned this impact, “considering the tourism revenue of New Hanover County stood at $1.1 billion in 2023. The annual GDP of the entire county did not exceed $20 billion during the last reported fiscal year, we find it hard to attribute so much economic activity to Avelo.”
He further mentioned, “This however, overlooks the true ethical dilemma, are we okay to turn a blind eye towards Avelo’s involvement in unlawful and cruel deportation flights just because we are profiting from their other services? What is the moral cost we are ready to overlook if we allow these deportation flights to go on?”
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