PENDLETON — Rumors of buses bringing Haitian immigrants to the Social Security Administration office in Pendleton have no merit, according to Pendleton Mayor John Turner and Pendleton Chief of Police Charles Byram.

“The rumor was that there was a bunch of Haitians being brought up from the border,” Turner said, “and that does not appear to be true.”

Instead, migrant farmworkers are coming through and making applications to see what Social Security benefits they are eligible to receive. Turner said because Pendleton has the only Social Security office that serves Northeastern Oregon, several hundred are coming through this week.

Byram said he sent an officer to investigate the situation and found everything was legal.

“What we learned is that migrant farmworkers were being bused to the Social Security office to apply for their benefits, which if they’re allowed legally in the country to work, they can do that,” Byram said. “They were doing what they were supposed to do by law.”