What to Know
- Customs and Border Patrol agents detained a man on a Greyhound bus on Thursday
- This is the second incident to have taken place on a Greyhound bus in a month.
- The man detained was a 32-year-old business owner.
Cameras were rolling as U.S. Border Patrol agents handcuffed a Greyhound passenger at the Ft. Lauderdale bus station. The incident has members of the Florida Immigrant Coalition and United We Dream up in arms. Both organizations argue that proof of citizenship is not required to ride a bus.
“It’s just sad to see how these people are afraid and they don’t even get told that they have the right to remain silent,” said Mariantonieta Chavez of United We Dream.
Close friends confirmed to NBC 6 that Thursday’s incident involved Andrew Anderson, 33. He was born in Trinidad but has lived in Miami for more than a decade. Anderson says he has no criminal history and owns a business in Miami Beach.
A similar scenario at the same station happened last Friday and was caught on video that eventually went viral.
Witnesses in the case say the bus driver said security was coming to do a routine check, but then immigration officials boarded the bus and reportedly demanded that everyone show proof of citizenship.
“People should feel safe when they’re traveling on these buses, and that’s not what we’re seeing,” said Chavez.
Local
The FIC says a woman of Caribbean descent was taken to the Dania Beach Border Patrol station. Law enforcement officials released a statement saying the woman was residing in the U.S. without proper status. NBC 6 has not been able to get comment from U.S. Border Patrol agents regarding Thursday’s case, but Nadia Gonzalez, an immigration attorney offered advice.
“You’re not legally obligated to prove citizenship. But if you’re traveling within the state, you should have some form of state issued ID,” said Gonzalez.
Under federal law, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents may search any vessel, aircraft or vehicle within 100 miles of any border for undocumented immigrants -- a distance which includes the entire state of Florida.
CBP released a statement following the first time they detained someone from a Greyhound bus, saying, "Border Patrol agents routinely conduct law enforcement activities at transportation hubs to prevent illegal aliens and drugs from traveling further into the United States. Enforcement operations at transportation hubs serve as a vital component of the U.S. Border Patrol's security efforts."
