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PHOENIX (AP) – Greyhound Lines Inc. no longer allows US authorities to drop immigrant families inside bus stations, forcing released people to wait for them to get a ticket.
US immigration and customs officials told The Associated Press on Friday that it had been asked to leave migrants outside the facility instead of transporting them by bus.
For years, ICE has been depositing migrants at Greyhound stations, mainly in Phoenix, after releasing them while waiting for hearings, often to obtain asylum.
Greyhound spokeswoman Crystal Booker said the company was experiencing an "unprecedented increase in the number of people" in some bus terminals and that travelers needed tickets to enter. She said the policy applies to anyone missing a ticket.
RELATED: An immigrant support group says the number of released asylum seekers continues to increase
"Our priority is to bring customers safely and efficiently to their destinations," Booker said in a statement. Immigrants released by ICE are generally not informed beforehand and can not arrange their trip before arriving at the station.
Most of them do not have money and have to wait for a member of their family or a lobby to buy their ticket.
A large number of Central American families have been to the United States in recent months, many seeking asylum after reporting that they have escaped violence and extreme poverty.
In Arizona alone, between December 21, 2018 and March 5, ICE reported the release of approximately 14,500 people who came with their families.
The agency relies on volunteer organizations to help families with their travel and meals. Outside the train station Thursday in Phoenix, about 15 adults and five children were waiting in a shaded area near a parking lot. Some said they were there for about seven hours.
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