Photo: Spencer Platt / Getty Images
By: EFE
Thursday, September 19
Greyhound to compensate migrants who were detained by CBP on its buses
The bus company Greyhound agreed to pay $ 2.2 million to settle a lawsuit for allowing agents from the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP ) board your vehicles in search of undocumented immigrants at a transportation terminal in Washington state, national media reported on Tuesday.
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson explained in a statement that the money will be used to compensate passengers who were detained, arrested or deported after immigration agents boarded that company’s buses at the Spokane Intermodal Center terminal.
# BREAKING On the eve of today’s scheduled trial, Greyhound agreed to my demands. Greyhound will no longer consent to exposing its passengers to fishing expeditions from ICE. Greyhound will pay more than $ 2 million for the Washingtonians harmed by Greyhound’s conduct.
– Bob Ferguson (@BobFergusonAG) September 27, 2021
The settlement responds to a lawsuit filed by Ferguson in April 2020 in the Superior Court of Washington.
The prosecutor explained in the legal action that operations involved armed CBP agents interrogating unsuspecting passengers, mostly Latino or of minorities, on their citizenship or immigration status, without a court order.
The lawsuit argued that Greyhound is subject to promises made s on its website to consumers .
For example, the company states that passengers must experience a “safe and reliable bus ride” and that it has “no room for discrimination ”And“ they are not concerned about race, color, or where they come from ”the passenger.
The agreement also requires that Greyhound enacts a series of corporate reforms, including implementing a policy that Deny CBP agents permission to board your buses in Washington without a warrant or Reasonable suspicion.
In addition, the company will have to train its drivers and other employees on how to communicate that policy to CBP agents.
Ferguson highlighted in a statement that “ Greyhound
has an obligation to its clients that cannot be set aside so that immigration agents can continue to carry out their investigations on board their buses.