Avelo Airlines, a low-cost airline based in Houston, Texas, announced that it will stop collaborating with federal agencies on the program of deporting undocumented immigrants.

After several months of working on a charter flight program overseen by the Department of Avelo Airlines, which was restructured in 2021 to facilitate the return of thousands of foreigners deemed dangerous to the United States by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), announced that it will close its base at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona on January 27, followed by closures at Raleigh-Durham and Wilmington Airports in North Carolina. In a statement, Avelo Airlines explained that its decision stemmed from the realization that it had not generated sufficient consistent and predictable revenue to offset its operational complexity and costs. The company also denied that comments from some customers disapproving of the service provided to DHS influenced its decision to cease working with the federal agency. "We did not observe any impact on customers' decisions to fly. In 2025, Avelo transported a record 2.6 million customers on scheduled commercial flights, 11% more than in [previous year]." 2024, with minimal seat growth. Our load factor also increased compared to 2024,” the document details.

However, what appears to be another compelling reason to stop participating in the deportation of immigrants was revealed in an email from CEO Andrew Levy, who was sent to airline employees on Tuesday of this week.

“It placed us at the center of a political controversy,” states part of the text leaked to CNBC.

It should be noted that after Avelo Airlines' announcement in April committing to transport immigrants out of the United States, in front of more than a dozen airports where Avelo operates, Protests arose from various immigrant support organizations.

Before resorting to private companies, the US government had used military aircraft to deport hundreds of immigrants.