Sen. Prez Looney: Avelo's actions just the latest example of "caving to government dollars at the expense of human rights."
(Updated) Outrage continued mounting from both the grassroots and elected officials Wednesday against Avelo Airlines’ decision to run deportation flights, as more than 14,000 people (at last check) signed onto a boycott petition.
State Sen. and President Pro Tem Martin Looney was the latest elected official to lay into the budget airline for contracting with the Trump administration to run deportation flights out of Arizona.
“Avelo Airlines’ decision to contract with the federal government to operate deportation flights is a disgraceful capitulation to profit over humane concerns,” Looney declared.
Meanwhile, the petition, posted by local activists on Change.org, declared: “We won’t fly Avelo until they stop ICE flights!”
Looney issued his statement in the form of a Tuesday evening press release.
In addition to being the leader of the State Senate, Looney also represents the section of New Haven that includes Tweed New Haven Airport — and has long been wary of the airport’s recent growth.
“When issues of humane and ethical principles compete with the profit motive and financial incentives, the principles, unfortunately, frequently lose,” Looney is quoted as saying in Tuesday’s press release.
And such is the case with Avelo’s decision to partner with the federal Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency to charter deportation flights out of a new base in Mesa, Ariz., starting in May.
Avelo currently flies more than two dozen direct routes out of New Haven after making Tweed its East Coast hub in November 2021.
Looney continued: “It is particularly galling that a company presenting one face in Connecticut as a partner in economic development, community engagement, and opportunity, is simultaneously presenting another in Arizona where it will now serve as a willing participant in a deportation system that often strips individuals of their dignity, security, and hope.”
Looney put Avelo’s deportation-flight decision in a broader context of American institutions folding in the face of pressure from the Trump administration.
“We have seen major universities compromise their commitments to academic freedom under pressure, and some of the nation’s most prestigious law firms retreat from defending civil rights and constitutional liberties when faced with political backlash or financial threat. Avelo’s actions follow that same pattern — caving to government dollars at the expense of human rights.”
Looney’s criticism came on the same day that Attorney General William Tong sent out a press release of his own criticizing Avelo for enabling Trump administration “atrocities.” And it comes one day after Mayor Justin Elicker said that Avelo’s newly revealed federal contract is “antithetical to New Haven’s values.”
An online boycott campaign organized by local immigrant rights activists has garnered more than 14,800 signatures as of the publication time of this article. (up from 6,800 at the initial publication time of this article, at 12:43 p.m. Tuesday).
In public statements, Avelo Airlines CEO Andrew Levy has defended the deportation-flight contract as providing Avelo with some protection from “fluctuating fuel prices” and other “macroeconomic factors,” all in service of allowing the company “to grow our core business, which is scheduled passenger travel.”
An internal-company email Levy sent out on April 3 justified the deportation-flight contract as helping offset Avelo’s growing financial troubles at Tweed amid a steep increase in passenger-travel competition.
In response to Looney’s comments, Avelo spokesperson Courtney Goff told the Independent, “We acknowledge the weight of these concerns and have received Connecticut’s feedback. We will be discussing these concerns with Connecticut leaders.”