FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | December 16, 2025
Contact: Sarah Fulton (302) 401-1114
DOVER — Democratic lawmakers Sen. Ray Seigfried and Rep. Mara Gorman announced Tuesday that they will file legislation that discourages the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) from engaging in business relationships with companies that contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the purposes of deporting undocumented people.
In recent months, Avelo Airlines — a commercial airline that runs out of the Wilmington Airport (ILG) — has entered into contracts with ICE to operate charter flights for the purpose of transporting detainees, many of whom have not been afforded due process during their deportation.
“Week after week, headlines from across our country demonstrate just how recklessly the Trump Administration is handling immigration enforcement. We are witnessing horror stories of families being torn apart and countless individuals being denied due process before being detained and deported. It’s sickening,” said Sen. Seigfried. “While it’s true that much of immigration policy is a federal matter, there are levers we can pull here at the state level. Withholding the fuel tax exemption from companies that are knowingly deporting people without due process is one way that we can make these corporations pay for their complicity.”
A 1962 Compact between New Jersey and Delaware led to the creation of the DRBA, a bi-state government agency that owns and operates several transportation hubs across the two states. This compact establishes the DRBA as an independent authority, which empowers it to manage, finance, and operate their own facilities.
To that end, Senate Concurrent Resolution 123 urges the DRBA to prohibit any agreements or contract for any incentives to businesses engaged in contractual relationships with ICE that facilitate the deportation of individuals who have not been afforded sufficient due process protections.
Because the Legislature cannot compel the DRBA to act, lawmakers will also introduce Senate Bill 207. This bill amends two sections of the Delaware Code to allow for the enforcement of accountability standards regarding immigration removals at state airport facilities in the following ways:
- Section 1 prohibits the Department of Transportation from contracting with airlines or transportation providers for the use of state-owned airport facilities if they knowingly transport individuals detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation without a valid judicial warrant or demonstration of due process. This section would be enforced by the Delaware Department of Justice.
- Section 2 disqualifies commercial airlines from receiving the aviation jet fuel tax exemption for economic development if they transport ICE detainees for deportation without meeting the same standards regarding judicial warrants and due process.
“Delaware is a state where we support our neighbors and real neighbors don’t look the other way when people in their community have their rights ignored,” said Rep. Gorman, House prime sponsor for SB 207. “This bill makes clear that if a company operating in our state chooses to participate in deportation efforts without meeting basic judicial warrant and due-process standards, Delaware will not reward that behavior with tax breaks. Our public dollars should reflect our values, and this legislation ensures they do.”
SB 207 and SCR 123 will be filed later this week and will be considered during the 2026 legislative session, which begins on Tuesday, January 13.
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