Advocate: New Greyhound policy affecting Central American Migrants
Immigration advocacy groups say immigrant families taken to the Greyhound bus station to eventually meet up with sponsoring families in the US are facing a new challenge.
Last week, federal immigration officials dropped off hundreds of families at the Greyhound station in Downtown El Paso. Many of the families were still in the process of making contact with sponsor families in other parts of the US, so they could buy them a bus ticket bound for various cities. Some already had their bus ticket.
Ruben Garcia, with the Annunciation House shelter that works with federal immigration authorities to house migrants, said Greyhound officials at the downtown bus depot told families a new policy was put in place. They cannot wait inside the Greyhound bus station for an unlimited amount of time, even if they have a bus ticket. “This policy says that you will not be allowed to wait in the bus station for your bus,” Garcia said.
Garcia says the group’s concern is immigrant families are being unfairly targeted. “These families, who are primarily from Central America, traveled thousands of miles to the US border seeking asylum,” Garcia said, “We question that policy because we’re concerned it is not being applied equally across the board.”
ABC-7 reached out to Greyhound officials for clarification on the policy, asking if it’s a new policy and if it’s being enforced across the board regardless of race or citizenship status. Greyhound has not replied to our request for clarification.
