US airline collaborates with ICE in an extended agreement for transporting individuals on deportation flights

A Texas-based airline has signed a long-term agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Immigration Control and Enforcement agency to carry out deportation flights.

Beginning in May, Avelo Airlines, which is headquartered in Houston, shared with Fox News Digital that they will have three planes flying out of Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA), in Arizona to “support the department’s deportation efforts.” 

A spokesperson for the airline said the planes will include three 737-800s and that the domestic and international flights will begin on May 12.  

“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 Airlines Founder and CEO Andrew Levy said in a statement. 

Venezuelan migrants flown from Guantanamo Bay via Honduras walk up a ladder after arriving on a deportation flight at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, La Guaira State, Venezuela, February 20, 2025.  (REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)

Trump has faced scrutiny over the migrant deportation flights as a federal judge has claimed that these flights may have violated a federal court order. 

At issue is whether the administration knowingly violated U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s emergency order, which temporarily blocked the deportations and required that any individuals removed under a centuries-old law be “immediately” returned to U.S. soil. Flights carrying migrants, including those deported under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, still landed in El Salvador that same night.

Boasberg, who issued the emergency orders at the center of the controversial and complex case, has said he intends to find out whether the administration knowingly violated them, and who, if anyone, should be held accountable.

The Alien Enemies Act, passed in 1798, has been used only three times in American history – during the War of 1812 and the two world wars – making its modern application by the Trump administration a rare legal maneuver.

Trump officials have argued invoking the law is necessary to expel dangerous individuals, including alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang, who were flown to El Salvador under the administration’s new deportation policy.

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

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected]