Avelo Halts Deportations, US Still Outsourcing Human Misery
Avelo Inc., the Houston-based carrier, is reportedly ending its involvement in immigrant deportation flights and closing an Arizona base. While Bloomberg frames this as a business realignment triggered by protests, the core operation of US federal agencies forcibly removing individuals continues unabated. The US government pays other companies billions for these flights, regardless of who's at the
controls. Companies like ICE Air (run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement) spent over $1.2 billion on 'transportation and detention' contracts in 2022 alone, with most funds going to private contractors. This isn't a policy change; it's a game of musical chairs among contractors eager to cash in on human misery. Washington's commitment to extensive deportation infrastructure remains; Avelo's
departure simply means another company will step in to ferry those deemed undesirable by the state. How many 'realignment' announcements does it take before we question the practice itself?