Avelo Airlines Faces Backlash Over ICE Deportation Flights, Local Leaders in Rochester Urge Review of Ties

Avelo Airlines, a low-cost carrier that recently began operating flights from Rochester, is under fire for its new agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to conduct deportation flights beginning May 12. The move has sparked nationwide criticism — and now local condemnation from Monroe County Legislator Rachel Barnhart, who is urging County Executive Adam Bello to examine the county’s relationship with the airline.

The airline, which offers service from Frederick Douglass–Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC) to destinations such as Raleigh-Durham and Orlando, is set to operate deportation flights using three Boeing 737-800 aircraft based in Mesa, Arizona. The agreement includes both domestic and international flights, flying individuals detained by ICE out of the country as part of ongoing enforcement efforts under the Trump administration.

“This airport bears the name of Frederick Douglass,” said Barnhart in a statement Monday. “What would he think of Monroe County doing business with an airline profiting from tearing families apart and sending people to foreign prisons—often without due process?”

Barnhart pointed to a ProPublica investigation that uncovered the use of restraints on deportation flights, which in some cases could hinder evacuation in an emergency. She emphasized the troubling legal and moral implications of these flights, citing past court rulings that declared certain Trump-era deportation practices unlawful.

“As federal judges have already ruled, many of the Trump-era deportation practices were lawless,” Barnhart said. “Avelo Airlines knows exactly what it’s doing: profiting off human suffering. Shame on them.”

Along with Monroe County Legislature Vice-President Mercedes Vazquez-Simmons, Barnhart has submitted a formal request to review the county’s financial agreements with Avelo. They are seeking to uncover any public incentives the airline may have received and determine whether the county has leverage to pressure Avelo to exit the ICE contract.

“Taxpayers should not be subsidizing an airline that collaborates with ICE,” Barnhart added. “The county needs to scrutinize its contracts and explore any leverage it may have to pressure Avelo to end its role in these deportations.”

A Change.org petition calling for a boycott of Avelo Airlines has already garnered over 25,000 signatures, with opponents criticizing the airline for aligning with federal deportation practices they view as inhumane and discriminatory.

In a statement earlier this month, Avelo Airlines said the charter agreement was a business decision aimed at preserving more than 1,100 jobs and stabilizing the company’s finances. The airline stressed that its involvement was not politically motivated.

Still, local leaders and activists argue that moral responsibility cannot be separated from business operations. “The CEO of Avelo claims the company needs ICE contracts to stay financially afloat,” said Barnhart. “But what about the stability of immigrants—our neighbors—who came here seeking a better life and are now being torn from their homes and communities?”

The Monroe County Executive's Office has not yet responded publicly to the call for review.