The budget airline has begun making deportation flights out of an Arizona airport, an unusual and controversial move for a company that depends heavily on its consumer brand.

The company, which serves airports in liberal cities on the coasts, has agreed to operate chartered flights for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Avelo Airlines sent its first flight out of Mesa Gateway Airport on Monday to aid in the Trump administration’s deportation effort. Protesters gathered near the airport in Phoenix, Arizona, to condemn the flights.