Avelo Protesters Return To Tweed

Nitza Jimenez went to her very-first political protest Wednesday — to urge Tweed flyers to join her in boycotting Avelo Airines for agreeing to run deportation flights for the Trump administration.

“It’s my first protest because it’s not right,” Jimenez, a New Haven resident, said during Wednesday evening’s protest, which was held at Tweed New Haven Airport at 155 Burr St. ​“I fly Avelo and I feel really annoyed that they’re taking part in shipping residents to another country. It’s crazy.” 

Jimenez said that going forward, she’ll be flying with other airlines instead — part of a growing push to boycott Avelo in protest of the company’s contract with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. An online petition pledging to boycott Avelo has garnered over 36,000 signatures. 

Wednesday’s protest at Tweed drew approximately 30 protesters and was organized by the Connecticut chapter of Indivisible, a national advocacy organization founded after President Donald Trump’s first election. It follows previous protests at Tweed earlier in April, including one that drew 200 people and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. Activists also attended the most recent meeting of Tweed airport’s Board of Directors, where they urged the airport authority to publicly oppose the contract. It has not yet done so. 

Beginning on May 12, Avelo will dedicate three planes for ICE deportation flights out of a brand-new base in Mesa, Arizona. CEO Andrew Levy has defended his decision on financial grounds, stating that the contract is necessary to maintain Avelo’s operations, including its service of New Haveners. 

But since announcing its decision in early April, the company has drawn widespread criticism from Connecticut residents, immigration activists, and Democratic lawmakers annd elected officials — including New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and State Sen. President Martin Looney.

Attendees at Wednesday’s protest argued that the Trump administration’s deportations are both illegal and inhumane. Multiple protesters’ signs called for the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia — a Maryland father sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador in March, a move the Trump administration described as an ​“administrative error.”

Anne Watkins, an organizer with the New Haven Immigrants’ Coalition, told the Independent that ​“people aren’t receiving due process. It is not humane.” She cited ProPublica’s recent reporting on a range of potential abuses on the deportation flights, including the shackling of many detainees to their seats. Watkins continued, ​“Avelo has said that New Haveners should be happy about this, because we’ll have more resources for New Haven, right? They must grossly misunderstand our community.”

In a written statement, Avelo spokesperson Courtney Goff told the Independent that ​“the safety and well-being of our Crewmembers (employees), Customers and all individuals involved is our highest priority. While we recognize the right of individuals to peacefully assemble, Avelo’s main priority will continue to be maintaining the safety and timeliness of our operation.”

Along with ending the contract for the deportation flights, protesters called for the state of Connecticut to cease offering Avelo a fuel tax subsidy, a policy in place since 2023. Kevin Douglas, another protest attendee, told the Independent that he found it indefensible that Avelo, ​“who has tax breaks from this state, is getting subsidized by taxpayers to participate in an unjust regime.” Douglas urged that beyond his frustrations with Avelo, he had broader concerns about Trump’s deportation policy, describing the deportations as ​“part of a move towards authoritarianism.” 

Another attendee, Melissa Rose, echoed Douglas’ statements. ​“This is our local airport in a state that has been very kind to this airline, and we deserve better from them. They take these benefits that our Democratic state is giving them and then turn around and do this kind of thing.” 

Douglas and Rose might be in agreement with Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, who wrote in an April letter to Avelo that the state’s subsidy should be reconsidered if the company fails to cancel the contract. 

Avelo has not indicated it has any intention of buckling under pressure. Rose stated that she was hopeful that the close connection between New Haven and Avelo will allow residents’ voices to be more influential. The company is headquartered in Houston but has called Tweed its East Coast home base since 2021. ​“I’ve done a lot of protesting in the last eight years,” she said, ​“but this feels like we could have an impact.”

As for Nitza Jimenez, the woman who attended her very first protest on Wednesday, the Avelo contract is forcing a lifestyle change. Jimenez visits one of her best friends in Florida multiple times a year — and she usually flies Avelo to get there. ​“Now,” she said, ​“they’re going to make me go all the way to Hartford.”