New Hampshire-based bus company follows Greyhound in blocking warrantless Border Patrol checks

Greyhound’s recent move blocking warrantless stops and searches by Custom and Border Protection agents could be sparking a string of other companies to follow suit, now that Concord Coach Lines, a New Hampshire-based company, has also announced it will similarly stop agents from boarding its buses unless they have a warrant. “The safety of our passengers is not something that we take lightly,” company vice president Benjamin Blunt said according to The New York Times. “We have understood the arguments for making this change, but have worked to fully understand the implications that a change would have on law enforcement’s ability to prevent all forms of criminal behavior. We are confident that this is the right thing to do.”

The decision comes after Greyhound changed policy following publication of a CBP memo confirming “the legal position that Greyhound’s critics have taken: that the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment prevents agents from boarding buses and questioning passengers without a warrant or the consent of the company.” Previously, Greyhound had claimed it had no choice but to allow agents to board. Concord Coach Lines also allowed border agents to board buses, but then said it would be reviewing policy following Greyhound’s move.

Both bus companies had “faced criticism from the ACLU over their policies of allowing immigration checks on their buses,” Press Herald reported last month. A 2018 letter from a number of ACLU affiliates detailed shocking examples of racial profiling aboard Greyhound’s buses in particular, including one incident in Vermont where agents “would not allow anyone to leave the bus, asking the passengers their citizenship and checking the identification of people who had ‘accents or were not white.’” 

“In Washington, agents reportedly board Greyhound buses frequently and intimidate passengers with questioning and demands for documents, and have been doing so in the Spokane area for several years, including on purely domestic bus routes,” the letter continued. “In 2017 alone, CBP agents took into custody at least 34 people after subjecting many more people to bus immigration checks in the Spokane area.” The ACLU of Maine, which Press Herald reports had been among the New England affiliates calling on Concord Coach Lines to protect customers, celebrated the news. 

“We are thrilled that Concord is joining other bus companies in doing the right thing to protect their passengers,” ACLU of Maine staff attorney Emma Bond said according to Press Herald. “The ACLU and partner organizations and activists have been calling for this change for over a year. Today’s announcement shows what happens when people join together and stand up for what they believe in. This change will go a long way toward protecting people from racial profiling and government overreach.”

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