Addressing Safety Concerns on ICE Flights with the Management

The MEC has received concerning reports that put into question whether FAA safety rules are being followed on Avelo ICE deportation flights.  

Below is a message from our International President Sara Nelson to our CEO about these concerns and demanding that Avelo investigate the issue and ensure the safety of passengers and flight crew.  Management acknowledged receipt of the letter and stated they would respond, however, we do not yet have a response.  We know you are anxious to have answers and we will continue to press for them.

Read this letter in PDF Format.

September 18, 2025

Andrew Levy, CEO
Avelo Airlines
12 Greenway Plaza, Suite 400
Houston, TX 77046

Dear Andrew,

Our Union and the Avelo flight attendants we represent have grave concerns about safety on Avelo flights flown for the Department of Homeland Security to deport detainees of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE flights). Based upon reports we are receiving from our members, Avelo is not following FAA safety requirements.

Recent press reports have documented how ICE flights by other airlines have not accounted for passenger safety in the event of an emergency. Flight attendants were not trained on evacuation of restrained passengers, and were discouraged or prohibited from performing safety checks and cabin walk-throughs required by the FAA. No modifications were made to the aircraft cabin to ensure restrained passengers could be evacuated in an emergency. No protocols were developed to apply FAA safety rules such as requirements for emergency row exits. Unfortunately, these issues are now occurring on Avelo ICE flights.

As I have communicated to you before, my foremost concern is the safety and well-being of flight attendants. While Avelo appears to have at least some written procedures for complying with FAA safety rules on an ICE flight, Avelo has failed to give Flight Attendants the tools, training or authority to actually ensure compliance with FAA safety requirements. In short, flight attendants are prevented from following FAA safety rules.

There is also the risk of legal liability. There were at least six incidents on ICE charter flights requiring evacuations between 2014 and 2019, some of which could have ended in tragedy and significant liability for the carrier. No one wants to see an incident forever connecting the name Avelo Airlines to tragedy because a safe evacuation could not be executed.

You are no doubt following the negative press, protests and political responses against Avelo. As the bargaining representative for Avelo flight attendants, we continue to be concerned about negative impacts on Avelo’s reputation and goodwill due to its role in contentious ICE flight deportations.

Nor do we want to see our members caught up in conflict because they have been assigned to a flight crew involved in ICE flights. As Avelo plans to add an additional location in El Paso, Texas from which to operate ICE flights, we request that no Avelo flight attendants be required to staff ICE flights and that all assignments to ICE flights be on a voluntary basis.

In order to assist us in understanding what measures Avelo is taking for the safety of our members, and to enable us to adequately represent them, we have the following questions.  Many of these questions are ones we have previously asked but have yet to receive a response. We would appreciate answers by September 30:

What are the duties of flight attendants on ICE charter flights?

What training will flight attendants be provided?

What are the procedures for evacuating shackled or otherwise restrained passengers?

How will the cabins and emergency exit areas of your aircraft be configured to ensure safe evacuation of shackled or otherwise restrained passengers?

What rules will apply to interaction and communication with passengers (including ICE Staff)?

How should Flight Attendants ensure that FAA safety requirements are met if passengers (including ICE Staff) refuse to comply?

How will flight attendants meet their safety duties if a passenger is in medical distress?

How is Avelo monitoring compliance with procedures or otherwise ensuring that procedures are followed?

Has the need to follow FAA safety requirements in the cabin been communicated to ICE, and if so what has been the response? How do you work with ICE to ensure compliance with safety rules?

Do these flights include children? Do applicable rules for children differ from other rules regarding passenger interaction? What if they are unaccompanied by an adult guardian or parent?

Given that the Administration has taken multiple opportunities to publicize deportation activities, will any flight attendant’s images be shown in future government publicity actions? Will the company take measures to ensure the identity and likenesses of flight attendants are not used?

Please provide a response as soon as possible - we need to understand how you are ensuring written policies are followed and what you are doing to ensure the cooperation of ICE staff.

I appreciate your immediate attention to these questions and look forward to your response, as well as available times when we can discuss this matter.

Sincerely,

Sara Nelson
International President