“Stop the Flights”
Protest against Avelo Airlines.
Activists Rally Against Avelo Airlines’ ICE Partnership in Fort Lauderdale
By Jose Mejia
📍 Fort Lauderdale, FL | 🗓️ June 28, 2025 📸 Photo Credits : @josecmejia04
Under the unforgiving glare of the Florida sun, voices rang out in resistance across Fort Lauderdale on Saturday as a coalition of activists staged a passionate protest against Avelo Airlines' newly exposed $150 million deportation contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Banners reading “Stop Mass Deportations!” and “Demand Due Process Rights!” fluttered in the summer breeze as speakers denounced what they described as Avelo’s complicity in a system of injustice.
Organized by local advocacy groups HopeAndAction and IndivisibleTeam, the demonstration drew dozens of protestors to the streets, all united in a singular message: No profit from pain .
“Avelo Airlines has chosen profit over people,” one protestor shouted through a megaphone, while others chanted in solidarity, their signs lifted high against the blue South Florida sky. The mood was a potent mix of grief, anger, and unshakable resolve.
According to the activists, the airline’s contract with ICE allows it to operate deportation flights that remove undocumented individuals without due process—a move they say violates basic human rights and puts vulnerable community members at risk.
A protester holds a sign reading ‘DUE PROCESS IS A HUMAN RIGHT’ along a roadside.”
The protest adds to growing public scrutiny of private companies that align with federal immigration enforcement, particularly in a city like Fort Lauderdale, where immigrant communities play a vital role in the region's social and economic fabric.
“Protester call for justice, holding a sign that demands an “END TO EXPLOITATION AND UNJUST DEPORTATIONS ”
As chants echoed through downtown, activists vowed this would not be the last time they took to the streets. “We’re here today, and we’ll be here again” said one organizer. “This is only the beginning.”
