In addition to many people having to catch flights home, some immigration rights activists planned protests at several airports across the country.
A group at BNA in Nashville on Sunday held up signs and chanted to get the attention of passengers and people coming to pick up loved ones.
“More than 20 cities across the United States are participating in the national protest against airline Avello this weekend,” said Mike Lacey, an organizer with the Nashville Boycott Avello movement.
With the Stop Avello coalition, Lacy is urging people to boycott the airline.
He claims Avello has a contract with ICE to help conduct deportation flights.
“We’re not asking you to give money. We’re asking you not to give money,” Lacey said.
According to CBS News reporting in April 2025, Avello signed a contract with the Department of Homeland Security to handle deportation flights for U.S. immigration control and enforcement.
However, when I reached out to the company for comment for this story, they said that was not the case.
In Avello’s statements, communications manager Courtney Goff reiterated to me twice that Avello has no contract with the Department of Homeland Security or ICE.
“Avello has no contract with DHS/ICE and we do not know how this false statement continues to be disseminated without any fact-checking,” Goff said.
I asked Goff if Avello had operated flights for the Department of Homeland Security or ICE in the past and I received the following response.
“We fly charter for all branches of government as we have under multiple administrations, Biden and Trump. We have no contract with DHS or ICE,” Goff said.
As far as a statement on this particular protest at BNA is concerned, Goff sent the following statement.
Goff said, “We recognize the right of individuals to peacefully assemble. Avelo’s main priority is to maintain the safety and timeliness of our operations, which our more than 8.3 million customers nationwide continue to enjoy.”
I contacted the Department of Homeland Security to get more clarity on this issue. I’ll add his response to this web article when I hear back.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
Vandy’s Band of Misfits makes headlines with 7-1 start
This is a story that I immediately took home and told to my boys – young athletes with big dreams. The success of the Vanderbilt football team has grabbed the headlines – what I love about Steve Layman’s story is that it reveals the personal hardships he had to overcome to get there. As Clark Lee says, “We all have bruises on our bodies.” This team proves that persistence pays off!
– Carey Sharp
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