Douglas County passes emergency ban prohibiting unscheduled stops from buses with migrants

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Bus companies carrying migrants are being put on notice: Do not stop in Douglas County after an emergency bus ban passed Tuesday.  

Bus companies that make unscheduled stops in unincorporated areas could face huge fines and possibly have their buses seized by the sheriff. The emergency ban was passed in 30 minutes by Douglas County Commissioners during a public hearing in Castle Rock on Tuesday.

It prohibits buses from stopping in many places, including Highlands Ranch, but Castle Rock is not included in the ban.  

Commissioners said their main goal was to prevent busloads of migrants from arriving and ending up on Douglas County Streets with nowhere to go. So far, commissioners say none of these types of buses have arrived and they are hoping to keep it that way.

Any bus caught unloading passengers at unscheduled destinations would face a one thousand dollar fine per passenger. That means they could face fines of up to $40,000.

In some cases, the sheriff could seize the bus which would be considered a public nuisance.

“We want to be very proactive and make sure that these bus companies don’t think we’ll just bring them to Douglas County because we have no shelters in Douglas County,” Douglas County Commissioner Lora Thomas said.

Thomas and other county leaders went on to say there are no funds to cover other the needs that the migrants would have such as housing and medical treatment.

Commissioners said their main concern was that when migrants find no more shelter in Denver, they could then go to Douglas County.

The county’s leaders are saying they will begin reaching out to bus companies in Texas carrying migrants to warn them that stopping here is now prohibited.