The Houston-based Avelo airlines will shut down its base in Mesa on Jan. 27, ending its deportation flights out of Mesa Gateway Airport.
Avelo flew as part of a Department of Homeland Security charter program, but a spokesperson says it did not deliver consistent enough revenue to overcome operational costs.
While the company faced protests due to the flights, Avelo says all decisions were made for commercial reasons.
Avelo had used three Boeing 737-800 planes for the flights.
The original move inspired an online boycott petition and sharp criticism from the union representing the carrier’s flight attendants.
The agreement between Avelo Airlines and Homeland Security has not been made public. Financial details, as well as the destination of Avelo’s deportation flights are unknown.
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Indigenous peoples across the U.S. have been swept up in the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants and an Arizona tribe is taking steps to safeguard its membership. -
Democratic members of Congress could be back in court this month after they say the Trump administration is again denying them immediate access to immigration detention facilities. -
Republican lawmakers hosting a pro-ICE press conference were driven indoors as they were met with protesters at the state Capitol on Monday morning. -
Last Friday, The Show invited Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) to stop by the studio and offer his perspective on some of the year’s major storylines thus far. -
Protests continued here and around the country over the weekend following the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good, a Minneapolis woman who was shot through the windshield of her car by an ICE agent last week.
