by Viktoria Sundqvist CTNewsJunkie
Attorney General William Tong reached out to Avelo Airlines officials to get some questions answered about its decision to provide chartered deportation flights for the federal government. And he is not happy about the response.
“(Tuesday’s) response from Avelo is totally unacceptable because it contains no response at all,” Attorney General Tong said in a statement this week. “Their overly legalistic and technical letter is insulting and condescending to the people of Connecticut who have invested in and committed millions of dollars to Avelo’s success.”
Budget airline Avelo, which offers flights out of Tweed New Haven and Bradley International airports in Connecticut, recently signed a contract to fly federal deportation flights. The company has said that while it understands this is a “sensitive and complicated topic,” it seeks to provide stability for its 1,100 crew members and keep them employed.
Related story: Avelo Protests Continue at Tweed
In the letter sent to Avelo CEO Andrew Levy on April 8, Tong asked the company to provide a copy of its contract with the Department of Homeland Security and to answer questions about whether it would operate deportation flights out of Connecticut, whether its passengers would be restrained, whether it would transport shackled children or children born on American soil, and whether it would operate flights involving passengers with no valid removal order.
Tong requested a response by April 15, and he got one.
In its response, Levy said Avelo remains committed to public safety and the rule of law, as evidenced by its public, continuous, and persistent compliance with all federal regulations governing commercial air travel in the United States.
“We do believe from the tone of your letter that there is a fundamental misunderstanding how the federal government contracts the flights that are the subject of your letter,” Levy said in his response. “The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) creates the scope of work and mandates that the work is performed compliant with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations…. DHS and FAA unilaterally determine which procedures and practices are used on the flights.”
Avelo’s response directed Tong to submit a Freedom of Information Act request with the DHS for the contract and also directed all questions regarding the contract’s scope of work to the DHS.
“Telling the Office of the Attorney General to pound sand and to ask the Department of Homeland Security for a copy of their contract through FOIA is a callous back-of-the-hand that shows they really don’t care what we think,” Tong said. “It is clear all they intend to do is take state support and make money off other people’s suffering.”
The state and local municipalities have worked to support Avelo’s expansion in Connecticut, including granting an exemption on the aviation fuel tax and upgrading airport infrastructure, Tong said. The state has a right to reconsider whether it should support a business with tax breaks and subsidies if it makes a policy decision that endangers innocent, law-abiding parents, children, and students here in Connecticut, he said.
Avelo said in its statement that it appreciates the support of the people of Connecticut and takes pride in its new flight routes and the expanded business that Avelo and the people of the state have “created together.”
“We are also proud of our contributions – creating jobs, stimulating economic activity, and providing reliable travel options for residents and visitors,” it said in its response to Tong.
Last week the Judiciary Committee advanced a bill that would limit the type of information disclosed to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and would prevent any company that receives any kind of Connecticut tax subsidy from cooperating with the federal immigration authority.
Republicans on the committee voted against it, saying any attempts to stand in the way of federal officials enforcing federal law is un-American and unconstitutional. Democrats on the committee said treating people as human beings and speaking up when there’s an injustice is the duty of all citizens.
Three Republican Senators also issued a statement this week questioning Connecticut Democrats’ ongoing criticism of Avelo.
“What does it say when Connecticut Democrats are directly adversarial to a major company that creates jobs in our communities?,” asked the statement from Sens. Rob Sampson, Eric Berthel, and Stephen Harding. “Connecticut should be a business friendly state… The least Democrats should do is to not attack a private business for entering into a contract with the federal government.”
Tong, a Democrat and the son of immigrant parents, has been outspoken against President Donald Trump’s current immigration and deportation policies, calling them “cruel and reckless.” This week he also joined a coalition of attorneys general in condemning what they call the Trump administration’s “ideological deportation policy,” targeting noncitizens who speak out against the administration.
Tong pointed out that Avelo does not deny that it made a choice to contract with the DHS and potentially transport innocent people, in violation of the law, to maximum security prisons outside of the United States.
“Connecticut has an obligation now to review this business decision and to consider the viability of our choice to support Avelo,” he said. “I strongly encourage Avelo to reconsider its response and its decision to profit from these atrocities.”