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Ector County Sheriff comments on reports of migrants stopping in Odessa

The Ector County Sheriff's Office is investigating a tip about suspicious activity at an Odessa truck stop.

ECTOR, Texas — On Tuesday night, the Ector County Sheriff's Office got a tip about suspicious activity off of the highway at a truck stop.

"That a bus had dropped some individuals off at the truck stop on Moss and I-20," said Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis. "And according to the information we had, they were private vehicles picking some of these individuals up and taking them wherever they went."

Right now the sheriff's office is investigating the situation.

"Right now we're trying to firm all that up, trying to secure some video to prove that that's what's going on," said Griffis. 

It is confirmed that busses traveled through Odessa with migrants, but as of right now there is no confirmation if they were the same buses that were seen at the truck stop. 

"We know there are buses coming through here headed to New York, Chicago, wherever," said Griffis. "We had contacted two busses that were on the interstate last night that were headed to New York, with both of them had about 50 Venezuelans on each bus, and they told us they were heading to New York."

If people are getting off busses in Odessa, the sheriff will take action.

"If it is, we are going to do something about it," said Griffis. "We've got enough trouble around here without adding to the problems we already have. The safety of this community is my main concern, and those people coming in here and we don't know who they are or what their past is or if they're criminals or whatever, sex offenders, that is my main concern, and we need to make sure these people are vetted."

After the investigation is complete, the department will share what they find out to the people of Ector County.

"We're in the process of trying to confirm these buses have been unloading some individuals at the truck stop and leaving them here, and as soon as we get that information firmed up we'll let everybody know," said Griffis.

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