US airline partners with ICE in long-term deal to carry out deportation flights

A Texas-based hose has signed a semipermanent statement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Immigration Control and Enforcement bureau to transportation retired deportation flights.

Beginning successful May, Avelo Airlines, which is headquartered successful Houston, shared with Fox News Digital that they volition person 3 planes flying retired of Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA), successful Arizona to "support the department's deportation efforts." 

A spokesperson for the hose said the planes volition see 3 737-800s and that the home and planetary flights volition statesman connected May 12.  

"We recognize this is simply a delicate and analyzable topic. After important deliberations, we determined this charter flying volition supply america with the stableness to proceed expanding our halfway scheduled rider work and support our much than 1,100 Crewmembers employed for years to come," Avelo Airlines Founder and CEO Andrew Levy said successful a statement. 

TRUMP FACES JUDGE BOASBERG OVER MIGRANT DEPORTATION FLIGHTS DEFYING COURT ORDER

Avelo Airline signs woody with ICE to 'support the department's deportation efforts' (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

The hose said it volition besides unfastened a basal astatine AZA with Avelo pilots, formation attendants and craft technicians, arsenic good arsenic due section leaders. 

"We expect to statesman hiring locally for these positions immediately. Current Avelo Crewmembers (employees) volition person the archetypal enactment to transportation to our caller AZA base," the hose said.

The hose posted a occupation statement for formation attendants funny successful flying connected the deportation flights, stating that they were searching for "energetic, highly motivated" formation attendants who volition enactment deportation efforts.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS NOON DEADLINE TO DISCLOSE DEPORTATION FLIGHT DETAILS AFTER JUDGE'S ORDER

Avelo Airlines says it volition transportation retired deportation flights astatine Mesa Gateway Airport starting successful May. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

"This accidental is for a charter programme for the Department of Homeland Security. Flights volition beryllium some home and planetary trips to enactment DHS's deportation efforts," the listing reads.

Pay starts astatine $28 per hour, according to the listing. 

Fox News Digital reached retired to ICE and Homeland Security but didn't instantly perceive back.  

The Trump medication has deported much than 100,000 amerciable migrants successful the 11 weeks since President Donald Trump returned to the White House on Jan. 20, according to a New York Post study citing a Department of Homeland Security official.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DEPORTS 100K ILLEGAL MIGRANTS SINCE INAUGURATION: REPORT

President Donald Trump and deported migrants successful Colombia. (Jim WATSON / AFP, left, and Colombian government.)

Both Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol officials person made astir 113,000 arrests and carried retired "north of" 100,000 deportations, the New York Post reported.

"He’s doing what helium was voted successful to do. Point blank!" an ICE root told the outlet.

Border czar Tom Homan has vowed to deport transgression amerciable migrants, peculiarly those who airs nationalist information threats, though it’s not known however galore of those deported had committed crimes portion successful the U.S.

The deportations travel arsenic the Trump medication has simultaneously reduced the fig of amerciable borderline crossers to grounds lows. 

The latest U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) numbers amusement that during March, the southwest borderline saw the lowest fig of crossings ever, with conscionable 7,180 recorded.

WHITE HOUSE BLASTS JUDGE FOR ATTEMPTING TO HALT DEPORTATION FLIGHTS TO EL SALVADOR: 'NO LAWFUL BASIS'

Venezuelan migrants flown from Guantanamo Bay via Honduras locomotion up a ladder aft arriving connected a deportation formation astatine Simon Bolivar International Airport successful Maiquetia, La Guaira State, Venezuela, February 20, 2025.  (REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)

Trump has faced scrutiny implicit the migrant deportation flights arsenic a national justice has claimed that these flights whitethorn person violated a national tribunal order. 

At contented is whether the medication knowingly violated U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s exigency order, which temporarily blocked the deportations and required that immoderate individuals removed nether a centuries-old instrumentality beryllium "immediately" returned to U.S. soil. Flights carrying migrants, including those deported nether the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, inactive landed successful El Salvador that aforesaid night.

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Boasberg, who issued the exigency orders astatine the halfway of the arguable and analyzable case, has said helium intends to find retired whether the medication knowingly violated them, and who, if anyone, should beryllium held accountable.

The Alien Enemies Act, passed successful 1798, has been utilized lone 3 times successful American past – during the War of 1812 and the 2 satellite wars – making its modern exertion by the Trump medication a uncommon ineligible maneuver.

Trump officials person argued invoking the instrumentality is indispensable to expel unsafe individuals, including alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang, who were flown to El Salvador nether the administration’s caller deportation policy.

Fox News' Michael Dorgan, Breanne Deppisch, and Bill Melugin contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price is simply a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, nationalist transgression cases, amerciable immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas tin beryllium sent to [email protected]