Greyhound Lines settles lawsuit over immigration sweeps

Greyhound Lines Inc. will pay $2.2 million to settle a lawsuit over the bus line’s practice of allowing U.S. Customs & Border Protection agents to board its buses in Washington state to conduct warrantless immigration sweeps, the state attorney general said Monday.

The bus company failed to warn customers of the sweeps, misrepresented its role in allowing the sweeps to occur and subjected its passengers to discrimination based on skin color or national origin, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said.

The money will provide restitution to those passengers who were detained, arrested or deported after immigration agents boarded buses at the Spokane Intermodal Center. The amount of restitution each individual receives will depend on the number of claims and the severity of harms suffered due to Greyhound’s conduct, Ferguson said.

Greyhound, based in Dallas, issued a brief statement saying it was pleased with the settlement.