Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Make a sustaining gift today to support local journalism!
Our 9 month series, New Hampshire's Immigration Story explored just that... the vast history of who came to New Hampshire, when they came, why they came, the challenges they faced once they landed on Granite State soil and the contributions that they brought to our state. The Exchange, Word of Mouth, and our News Department looked at the issue of immigration from its first arrivals to the newest refugees calling New Hampshire home.We saw how immigration affects our economy, health care, education system, culture and our current system of law. We also looked at what's going on in New Hampshire today, as we uncovered the groups, societies and little known people who are making an impact all over the state.Funding for NH's Immigration Story is brought to you in part by: New Hampshire Humanities Council, Norwin S. and Elizabeth N. Bean Foundation, The Gertrude Couch Trust0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff89e10000

N.H. ACLU: Concord Coach Lines Complicit With Immigration Officials

Screen Shot of ACLU video

The ACLU released a statement on its social media accounts calling for bus transit company Concord Coach Lines to cease what it says is complicity with immigration officials.

The civil liberties group also posted video allegedly showing travelers encountering immigration agents as they prepared to board a Concord Coach Lines bus in Maine. In that video, some of the customers question a company employee.

“Do you have to be a U.S. citizen to take this bus?” the boarding passenger asks.

“Yes," the Concord Coach employee answers.

But Concord Coach Lines Vice President Ben Blunt says that employee misspoke.

"I think if we are remiss in anything here, it's not doing a good enough job talking about this issue with our staff," Blunt says.

He says guidance from the American Bus Association has led him to believe they don't have much of a say when it comes to cooperation with immigration agents. “We don’t want to ask our employees -- our drivers, our ticket agents -- to be interfering with a federal officer who is lawfully doing his job,” says Blunt.  

In the statement, ACLU of New Hampshire Legal Director Gilles Bissonette argues that a private entity like Concord Coach Lines has no legal obligation to cooperate with immigration officials.

Related Content

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.