ECTOR COUNTY, Texas —
The Ector County Sheriff’s Office is investigating reports of migrants being dropped off at a Pilot truck stop in West Odessa, Sheriff Mike Griffis confirmed Wednesday.
According to ECSO, truck stop employees said unmarked buses are showing up in the middle of the night and unloading migrants in the parking lot.
At this time, it is still unclear what the buses are doing and where they came from.
However, Griffis did confirm that deputies stopped two buses on I-20 near Moss Road Wednesday night. He said the deputies reported seeing about 50 people on each bus. They were told the passengers were from Venezuela, but were headed to Dallas then on to New York.
Both Congressman August Pfluger and State Representative Brooks Landgraf have released statements about the reports and criticizing the Biden administration’s border policies.
Read below to see what each of them had to say.
Congressman August Pfluger: “I am aware of the reports that illegal migrants are being dropped off in West Odessa, and am coordinating with CBP and ICE to investigate the claims. If the Biden Administration is dropping off migrants in Odessa, I will work vigorously to put an end to it. The Biden Administration has abandoned Texas. The President’s policies have encouraged more than 4.2 million illegal migrants, including known terrorists and convicted drug criminals, to cross the southern border. The Permian Basin should not be forced to pay the price for President Biden’s border crisis. I will continue working closely with Sheriff Mike Griffis and Representative Brooks Landgraf to make sure Odessans are safe and informed.”
Rep. Brooks Landgraf: “The open border policies of the Biden Administration are utterly inhumane, leading to deaths of immigrants at the southern border every single day and recklessly putting the safety of communities in our own state at risk. The recent report of bused illegal immigrants being dropped off in West Odessa in the middle of the night is a disturbing development that is completely unacceptable. Congressman August Pfluger, Sheriff Mike Griffis and I are actively working together with state and federal officials to investigate the entity responsible for this operation and most importantly to ensure the safety of Odessans. Until President Biden decides to uphold immigration laws passed by Congress, the State of Texas will continue utilizing every tool available to secure the border and keep Texans safe."
This is all the information we currently have on the situation. We will update this story as more details are released.