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We stopped Avelo “Abduction Airlines”!

So let’s keep going…

Avelo, a little known budget airline, was the carrier for ICE deportation flights. The company signed a contract with DHS and started making deportation flights. But thanks to tireless organizing of so many (more on how we won below!), Avelo announced in January 2025 that they would stop taking these flights. But we’re not stopping. There’s more to do to stop this horrific immigration regime.

Take action now:

  • Target corporations that might ICE possible. When we pressure the companies that profit from detention and deportation, we weaken the entire system. Find a map of ICE contractors here, and our friends in Minnesota have asked for action against Target, Enterprise and Home Depot (their toolkit is here, and more ways you can take action for MN are here).
  • Local and state action. Organize in your communities to pass policies that protect our communities: worker protections, know your rights legislation, sanctuary policies, and legal defense funds. These fights are winnable — and they save lives.
  • Our workplaces are front lines. Ensuring workers and workplaces know their rights if ICE shows up is integral to supporting our communities. Download our Fourth Amendment Workplace materials and help keep your local businesses open.
  • Community resistance works. Connect with ICE watch networks in your area, or build and grow them if there are none. Download our toolkit to get started
  • Want to get more involved, connect with others, or want coaching for any of the above? Let us know by completing this survey.

And want to learn more about the Avelo campaign? Check out our toolkit & information below.

Why did Avelo initially take the contract? Avelo “Abduction Air” said it took the contract because of shaky finances – so let’s show them that there’s no profit in kidnapping.

What we did: To beat a corporation complicit in our horrific immigration regime, where legal residents are being taken off the streets, we made sure Avelo knew we wouldn’t fly on their planes; we worked to stop subsidies they were getting from city and state governments, and we campaigned to stop them from flying into our communities.

How we did it: We launched our campaign in May 2025, with tens of thousands of people taking action online and in the streets. This cross movement effort includes national organizations like Mijente, the Stop Avelo coalition, Indivisible, Jobs with Justice, the Democratic Socialists of America, the Unitarian Universalists and many faith and local groups, and so many others. Students, faith communities, retirees, and many others across the country forced our local officials to speak out, ended Avelo’s subsidies, and refused to fly Abduction Air. Read more about how we did it here.