Activists to protest against deportation flights at Mesa Gateway airport

After Avelo Airlines cancelled its contracts with ICE, Arizona activists are warning other companies to stop aiding the Trump administration.

Arizona activists notched a major win at the start of the year when Avelo Airlines, a subcontractor for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) deportation efforts, announced an end to deportation flights out of Mesa Gateway airport and across the country. 

On Saturday, activists will celebrate with a demonstration at Mesa Gateway airport as a reminder of the collective power of organizing and and to emphasize that the work isn’t done.

The march against deportation flights will take place at 9 a.m. at East Ray Rd. & Power Rd. intersections by Mesa Gateway airport, and will include speakers from Mesa Valley Indivisible, Phoenix Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) Phoenix, East Valley Unite, and more.

The organizations are also protesting the airport’s ICE detention facility, the Arizona Removal Operations Coordination Center (AROCC), which houses immigrants awaiting either deportation or transfer to an out-of-state facility. Since the AROCC is intended for short stays, it does not have beds or showers for detainees, but an investigation by the Arizona Mirror found 95 instances in which people stayed at the facility for longer than 48 hours, including one detainee who was allegedly held there for 42 days.

The demonstration comes after Avelo Airlines signed an agreement with the federal government last April and began flights the following month. Activists quickly got to work to demonstrate against the deportation flights, with reports claiming inhumane and unsanitary conditions for detainees on these flights.

From May to December 2025, Avelo Airlines operated 1,900 flights for ICE, with the majority taking place out of Mesa Gateway airport. Over the past year, activists with DSA and other groups have led a campaign calling on Avelo Airlines to end their partnership with the federal government.

In January, the company announced it was formally cancelling the agreement as a result of inconsistent revenue, with the final end date being Jan. 27, 2026. 

Emily Kirkland, an organizer with Phoenix DSA, said this weekend’s mobilization is meant to serve as a warning to other airlines and corporations aiding the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda.

Specifically, Kirkland called on Home Depot, which has remained silent as ICE agents have targeted immigrants on or near their properties, and Target, which cut its diversity, equity and inclusion commitments just a few days after President Trump’s inauguration, to stand with communities and fight against the Trump administration. 

“Everybody should be looking around and should be horrified at what has been happening all over the country. It’s not too much to ask for companies to pay attention to morals and ethics [in making] decisions,” Kirkland said. “Companies that choose to be complicit with ICE are going to pay the price for that.”

Now that Avelo Airlines will no longer participate in ICE deportation flights, organizers have shifted their messaging to demand all airlines stop aiding the Trump administration in deportation flights, including CSI Aviation, GlobalX Air, Eastern Airlines, and Omni Air International.

Kirkland hopes that the demonstration will reenergize Arizonans, particularly after reports that ICE agents plan to descend onto Phoenix in the coming months. She urged people to come out and meet like-minded activists at the demonstration.

“It’s a reminder that when we organize, we can have wins, and that the fight is still going on. We are still pushing,” Kirkland said. “If you care about human rights and the dignity of all people, it’s time to start getting involved.”