Eastern

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has signed to represent Eastern Air Holdings, which operates deportation flights for Immigration & Customs Enforcement.

The firm has agreed to deal with issues such as immigration-related flights and border security. It also will stress the job creation capability of the aviation sector and the economic impact that it has on communities.

David Cohen, who served as chief of staff for three ICE commissioners handles the push for Eastern. He was involved in policy discussions surrounding the formation of the Dept. of Homeland Security.

Besides Brownstein, Cohen was chief administrative officer at CLEAR, the biometric technology company.

Massachusetts governor Maura Healey on Jan, 8 sent a letter to Eastern Air Express chief Alexander Vanek and GlobalX Airlines executive chairman Chris Jamroz urging them to end the deportation flights from Hanscom Field in Bedford.

"Flying these residents out of state—often within hours of arrest—is intentionally cruel and purposely obstructs the due process and legal representation they are entitled to," she wrote. “By contracting with ICE to execute these flights, you are profiting off these anti-American tactics and facilitating the obstruction of due process.”

In November, April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union sent letters to executives at Eastern, GlobalX, Avelo Airlines, and Omni Air International, demanding that they cut ties with ICE and “stop profiting from the Trump administration’s cruel and inhumane immigration policies."

Avelo ended its ties with ICE Air Operations last month.