Dear Mr. Foland and Mr. Morris,

I am writing to urge Atlantic Aviation to end its participation in ICE incarceration and deportation operations. As a Fixed Base Operator, your services fully enable these flights, and I urge you to consider the human consequences of that involvement.

Contrary to common assumptions, the majority of people you are helping to incarcerate and deport are good people, not violent criminals. Available data indicate that over 70% of people taken into ICE custody nationally and in North Texas have no criminal conviction, and only a 5% have convictions for violent offenses. Families are being separated, children are losing parents, and communities are losing workers, neighbors, and caregivers.

I’m also deeply concerned by reports of coercive tactics used to secure deportations and by numerous documented cases in which individuals have been removed, despite pending court orders, or credible claims to remain in the US. Immigration proceedings can carry life-altering consequences, yet the immigration court system does not provide many of the procedural protections Americans associate with criminal trials, including a jury of peers, impartial judicial judges, and counsel for those who cannot afford representation.

Furthermore, your employees shouldn’t be asked to participate in this system. Requiring aviation workers to support cruel deportation flights places them in a morally difficult position, and it associates your workforce with actions many members of the public view as deeply troubling.

Your website states, “Our team is a tapestry of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences, creating a culture that thrives on inclusivity.” How does cooperation with ICE, which seeks to harm people with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences, including many seeking asylum from extreme violence, reinforce these values? I don’t see how it could.

Finally, there is the question of liability. ICE has repeatedly faced successful legal challenges in federal courts, and there have been documented cases in which U.S. citizens, and individuals who were in the country legally, were wrongfully detained or deported. If people are being moved illegally, or in violation of court orders, what due diligence is your company conducting to ensure it is not facilitating unlawful conduct?

Immigrants are what makes America strong. They start businesses, raise families, contribute to local economies, enrich our culture, and strengthen our communities. However, Atlantic Aviation’s enablement of a multibillion dollar incarceration and deportation industry, undermines those contributions and inflicts real harm on families, businesses, and communities.

Please, end your participation in ICE deportation flights and stand with the families, workers, and communities that make North Texas and America a beautiful and vibrant community and nation.