Who We are

DE Stop Avelo Coalition is made up of DE community organizations that work to ensure Delaware public resources are not used—directly or indirectly—to support immigration detention and deportation operations.

Coalition partners include: No Borders DE; DE Democratic Socialists of America; DE Working Families Party; Indivisible Highlands and Beyond; Indivisible Newark; Indivisible Central DE; Indivisible SoDel; Unitarian Universalists; Progressive Democrats of Sussex County; Newark DE Solidarity Brigade; and Indivisible Delaware Diamond.

We also partner with the National Stop Avelo Coalition for ongoing research sharing, community building, and amplification of actions.

We welcome you to our coalition, sign up if you'd like to be on the mailing list; or if you're ready to go a step further and volunteer!

What’s changed (and why we’re still organizing)

After months of public pressure and community protest, Avelo announced it is ending its ICE deportation flight work (ending Jan. 27, 2026). That’s important progress, but stopping Avelo was only the beginning.

Deportation doesn’t stop when one airline backs out.

It moves to new contractors, new shell companies, new “aviation services” or logistics tenants, and the same airports and public agencies that enabled it before.

Right now, Delaware is facing exactly that risk. The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) is considering a lease at Wilmington Airport (ILG) with Daedalus Aviation Corp., a company connected in reporting to federal deportation flight infrastructure. Spotlight Delaware

That’s why we’re still organizing. We want to make sure no deportation contractor slips in through the cracks at ILG. We want to stop Delaware public resources from being used to grease the wheels of detention and deportation, no matter what name is on the tail or and no matter how they try to disguise the mission.

Governor Meyer and the Delaware Deportation Cog

Governor Meyer has expressed his support for Delawareans protests at ILG (Wilmington, DE) and spoke publicly in support of boycotting Avelo as a carrier for I.C.E. deportation flights. Now that Avelo has backed off and Daedalus is trying to move in, he can use his position in the state to DO MORE! Governor Meyer has seen the contract proposal that DRBA is entertaining for "VIP flights" by Daedalus. We need the Governor to act like Delaware is not a deportation hub. If DRBA is entertaining deals that could enable deportation infrastructure at ILG, the Governor can use his position and influence to demand:

1. No airport deals that enable deportation flight operations, directly or indirectly
2. Full disclosure of who the tenant or vendor serves, who pays them, and who their affiliates and subcontractors are
3. No public subsidies, incentives, or marketing support for deportation-linked operators

Why Daedalus Raises Alarms

Daedalus is not harmless “VIP flights.” Reporting has linked Daedalus to the federal government’s push to expand deportation flight capacity, including the acquisition of Avelo's own Boeing 737 aircraft for DHS/ICE deportation operations.

And here’s the loophole Delaware must pay attention to:

Under federal law, some government flights can qualify as public aircraft operations under 49 U.S.C. §40102(a)(41) and §40125, which can mean different oversight and disclosure dynamics than ordinary commercial operations. That’s exactly why Delaware must demand maximum transparency up front, before any lease or airport support is approved.

A wide range of activists and constituents share these concerns across the board. We share the desire to fly ethically out of ILG in the future without putting money towards profiteering off the mass persecution of America’s immigrants.

Take Action:

• JOIN the Stop Avelo Delaware Coalition led by No Borders Delaware. Partner organizations include Delaware Coalition for Immigrant Justice, Indivisible Highlands and Beyond, Delaware Working Families Party, Indivisible Southern Delaware, and Delaware Democratic Socialists of America International Solidarity Working Group
  
  
• CONTACT the Governor’s Office
  ☎️Governor Matt Meyer (302) 744-4101
  ✉️Email his office at their website
  🗣️Tell him: Delaware is not a deportation hub. Stop any public support, contracts, incentives, marketing, or airport deals that enables deportation flight infrastructure. Require full disclosure of contractors and subcontractors before any airport lease is approved.

• CONTACT New Castle County and DRBA leadership
  ☎️New Castle County Executive Marcus Henry (302) 395-5555
  ☎️DRBA Executive Director (302) 571-6300
  ✉️Email DRBA at contact_us@DRBA.net
  🗣️Tell them: No lease, contract, or facility support should be considered at ILG for deportation-linked operations—directly or indirectly. You must require full transparency about any aviation tenant’s contracting chain, affiliates, and customers.

• PROTEST at Honk-and-Wave actions co-hosted by Indivisible Highlands and Beyond and 302 United. The post their events on Mobilize, so keep your eyes peeled!
  

We want a future where Delawareans can live without our resources being used to harm our neighbors.

No loopholes. No rebrands. No deportation contractors at ILG.