The activists are calling out Avelo Airlines, which signed charter contracts earlier this year with the Department of Homeland Security to carry immigrants rounded up by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency from airports across the country to a detention center in Alexandria, Louisiana, where detainees arrive shackled and in handcuffs.
Avelo operated about 20% of the deportation flights in the U.S. in August, according to data compiled by the website Travel and Tour World.
Avelo’s contract with the federal government has sparked protests across the country — including in Maryland, where it has offered a limited number of commercial flights out of BWI since 2021 and currently runs four round-trip flights a week from the state-owned airport.
So far, even as Gov. Wes Moore (D) amps up criticism of President Donald Trump (R) and his agenda, the state has not sought to block Avelo from doing business at BWI.
Maryland’s deal with Avelo allows either party to walk away from the commercial flight arrangement with 30 days’ notice. But Moore administration officials assert they are powerless to stop ICE from running detainee flights out of BWI.
Del. Ashanti Martinez (D-Prince George’s), the chair of the Latino Caucus, wrote to Moore and state transportation officials in mid-September, urging them to end their contract with Avelo because the airline is abetting the Trump administration’s aggressive crackdown on undocumented immigrants — which often results in immigrants who have legal status being removed from the country.
“I really deeply feel like if we have any control of the business taking place at BWI, we shouldn’t be supporting businesses that don’t reflect the values of Marylanders,” Martinez said in an interview.
He said Moore has yet to respond. But over just a few weeks, the Maryland groups targeting Avelo have collected more than 8,000 petition signatures, urging Moore to cancel the state contract with the airline.
“The main thing is putting pressure on the governor,” said Ryan Harvey, a leader of the Baltimore Rapid Response Network, one of several progressive groups organizing protests over Avelo’s commercial flights at BWI.
But even if the Moore administration sought to remove Avelo from BWI’s lineup of commercial flights, it cannot prevent Avelo or other carriers from running immigrant detainee flights out of BWI or other state airports. That’s because those trips are arranged and overseen by the federal government, and the state is obligated to allow those flights to use airport runways and control towers. The state government has jurisdiction over the BWI terminal and associated businesses, but not airport runways or other flight operations.
‘Aiding Trump’s deportation campaign’
Avelo launched in 2021, just as the U.S. was beginning to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, offering low-cost flights in the U.S. and to nearby Caribbean islands. The carrier began providing commercial service to and from BWI in spring 2022.
“We are thrilled to welcome Avelo Airlines to our market,” Ricky Smith, who was then the executive director of the Maryland Aviation Administration, said at the time. “Avelo will offer low fares and convenient access, and will boost tourism to Maryland and the entire National Capital region. We remain committed to growing our air service portfolio and adding new travel options for our customers.”
Avelo’s financial journey since its launch has been tenuous, according to a recent account by Forbes, which may explain why the airline signed federal contracts worth an estimated $150 million to transport undocumented immigrants.
The blowback has been swift and vocal, with protests erupting across the country. Some call for passengers to boycott the airline, while others have urged government officials to eliminate financial incentives to Avelo for its commercial operations — or to block the operations altogether.
A New York Times article, noting that Avelo flies to several “liberal cities on the coasts,” suggested the airline is “aiding Trump’s deportation campaign.”
Harvey said Maryland activists were inspired when they heard about protests targeting Avelo in Connecticut, which have spread across the country.
“The national campaign is a bunch of local, grassroots operations that got in touch with each other,” he said.
Similarly, Martinez said lawmakers in Maryland, responding to the concerns of their constituents, have spoken to their counterparts in other states about strategy and tactics.
“I’ve heard from constituents throughout my district,” he said. “They’re really concerned that their tax dollars are being used in some way to deport their neighbors.”
The 2022 deal struck between Avelo and Maryland transportation officials allows either party to terminate the contract for the airline to run commercial flights out of BWI with just 30 days’ notice — which means Moore could end the agreement in short order.
“There should be no repercussions if the state decided that Avelo should pack up in 30 days,” Harvey said.
Jonathan Dean, a spokesperson for the Maryland Aviation Administration and BWI, said the state provided no financial incentives to the airline when it arrived in 2022. He said information on what revenues the state is deriving from the arrangement with Avelo could only be obtained through a Maryland Public Information Act request. Commercial airlines typically pay the state landing fees and charges related to facilities and equipment rental at BWI.
Avelo is currently running a total of four round-trip commercial flights a week in and out of BWI, to and from New Haven, Connecticut, and to and from Wilmington, North Carolina, Dean said. Between July 1, 2024, and June 30 this year, Avelo flew 36,164 commercial passengers at BWI, he said, for a passenger market share of 0.14%.
Courtney Goff, a spokesperson for Avelo, told Maryland Matters that the airline is aware of the protests in Maryland and across the country. But she referred questions on the ICE flights to the Department of Homeland Security.
“We recognize the right of individuals to peacefully assemble and assert their freedom of speech,” Goff said in an email. “Avelo’s main priority continues to be maintaining the safety and timeliness of our operation that nearly eight million Customers across the country continue to enjoy.”
The ICE media office did not respond to an email with a series of questions about possible detainee flights out of Maryland airports in 2025.
But even if Maryland ended its arrangement with Avelo for commercial flights, that would not prevent Avelo or other carriers from running detainee flights out of BWI or other state airports.
Flights arranged by ICE “are part of a private contract between a flight operator and the federal government,” Dean said.
“A number of these flights have been arranged by the federal government and flown through a private fixed-base operator at BWI Marshall Airport. The national airspace, airline operations, and access to airports are regulated by federal law,” Dean said. “As a federally funded, public-use airport, BWI Marshall Airport is required by federal law to provide access to all certified air carriers without discrimination.
“The Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) does not schedule, inspect, or authorize these flights,” he added.
Dean said MAA officials are aware of one ICE flight that Avelo operated this year carrying immigrants from BWI to the detention center in Louisiana. That’s one of about 30 detainee flights that departed from BWI this year, he said. The others have been operated by GlobalX, a charter airline, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
These flights have yielded no revenues for the state, Dean said. Activists will continue to pressure state policymakers on Avelo, Harvey said.
“Marylanders would like to see leaders do more,” he said.