Ultra low cost carrier Avelo Airlines will operate deportation flights under ICE charter

Ultra-low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines recently signed a deal with the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to carry out deportation flights under a charter agreement.

“We realize this is a sensitive and complicated topic. After significant deliberations, we determined this charter flying will provide us with the stability to continue expanding our core scheduled passenger service and keep our more than 1,100 Crewmembers employed for years to come," Avelo's founder and CEO, Andrew Levy, said in a statement.

The flights will be operated by three Boeing 737-800 aircraft based at Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona and will begin on May 12. The airline plans to open a crew base at the airport to support the deportation operations and is hiring flight attendants and aircraft technicians to work and service the charters.

The Trump administration has stepped up the pace and profile of deportations since the president took office in January, but the judiciary has tried to limit the executive branch's actions, with multiple federal judges ruling that the administration had overstepped its authority.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for Paste BN. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.