Noviembre 22, 2021
Did you live in Washington and have used Greyhound Lines Inc. buses? This information might be of your interest!
Washington attorney general Bob Ferguson announced that Greyhound Lines Inc. will pay $2.2 million in the lawsuit against it over the practice of allowing United States Customs and Border Protection agents to board their buses since 2013 to carry out immigration raids without court orders or reasonable suspicion when they did not have to. Greyhound did not warn its clients about the raids; on the contrary they allowed them to be carried out and subjected their passengers to discrimination on the basis of race, skin color or nationality.
The attorney general will use the payment to provide restitution to passengers who were detained, arrested or deported after immigration agents boarded their bus between 2013 and 2020. The amount of restitution each individual will receive will depend on the number of claims and the severity of damage suffered due to the behavior of the bus line.
In addition to paying $2.2 million Greyhound is also required to take the following actions among others:
Issue a public statement, at least in English and Spanish, clarifying that Greyhound does not consent to immigration agents boarding its buses without a warrant or reasonable suspicion.
Provide placards to its drivers so they can give them to immigration offices stating that Greyhound does not consent to them boarding their buses for raids without a warrant or reasonable suspicion.
Implement a complaints procedure for passengers who wish to report the presence of immigration agents on Greyhound buses or at their bus stations and notify the Washington attorney general’s office of any complaints.
If you or a family member were detained, arrested or deported after immigration agents boarded your Greyhound bus at the Spokane Intermodal Center in Washington between 2013 and 2020, contact the attorney general’s office at 1-833-660-4877 and choose option 2 for Spanish, followed by 8 from the main menu or email [email protected] to file a claim.
The attorney general’s office is not part of the federal government and filing a claim does NOT require you to disclose your immigration status.
For more information visit:
This blog is not legal advice. Each case is different. If you have questions about this case, contact the Washing attorney general’s office. If you have questions about your labor rights in the United States, call Centro de los Derechos del Migrante at 855-235-9699 from the US or 800-590-1773 from Mexico.
Imágen: Flickr/austinsasse 2010/Vía Flickr.com