My name is Tiana Smalls. In June 2018, I was a passenger on a Greyhound bus from California bound to Las Vegas. This is a trip that I have taken many times from my youth to adulthood. I am very familiar with the route and the specifics of traveling from California to Vegas and back via Greyhound.  

This trip, I was met with an unbelievable aberration. We came to a checkpoint that usually is to prevent people from bringing fruits INTO California. Since we were LEAVING California, I thought it quite odd that we had stopped at all.

The driver then announced "We are being boarded by California Border Patrol. Please prepare to have your documents ready should you be asked for them.”I knew this wasn’t right so I stood up and said “This is a violation of your fourth amendment rights. You don’t have to show them s***.” I repeated it in Spanish so that everyone could understand. 

Just that simple act was enough for the agents to realize they would face an uphill battle and they left the bus. But this happens every day, and Greyhound needs to stop letting agents on their buses.

Right now, thousands of Greyhound buses are making their way across the nation, from Tucson to El Paso, Little Rock to Nashville and beyond. Among the passengers on the buses are many migrants departing border towns and heading to find family and settle in a new home. But Greyhound is putting these migrants – the very people keeping the company profitable – in direct danger. 

Greyhound has repeatedly allowed border patrol officers onto their buses, resulting in more arrests and relocation to horrific detention centers. While Greyhound claims their drivers are just following the law, the buses are private property and border agents should not be permitted to board. Because of the company’s ignorance, any person riding a Greyhound bus is subject to harassment and violation of their civil liberties. 

Sign now to tell Greyhound to stop endangering migrants and allowing ICE raids.

Border agents also drop migrants at Greyhound stations with no money or food. Greyhound will not even let these migrant families wait inside the bus station, even when busses are sold out and they have to wait a day or more to travel. At every step of the way, Greyhound is jeopardizing the safety and wellbeing of migrants while happily taking the increased profit from the additional fares. Sign now to tell Greyhound that this terrible treatment of undocumented migrants must to be stopped immediately.