According to local reports, a group of about 20 people believed to be illegal immigrants attempted to board a school bus carrying elementary school students in California on Wednesday, causing concern for parents.
The incident came just 24 hours after a small group of suspected migrants tried to board another school bus in the same area, local media reported, citing education officials.
Both incidents occurred within San Diego County's Jamul-Dulluzura Unified School District, about 11 miles north of the southern border.
In Wednesday's incident, a group of 20 migrants tried to board a bus carrying students along Interstate 94. Fox 5 The report cited an emailed notice sent to students' families by the district's Superintendent, Liz Bysted.
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Parents in California said they were concerned about their children's safety after two incidents this week in which suspected migrants tried to board school buses carrying elementary school students. (Left: Frederick J. Brown/AFP; right: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg)
However, parents at the bus stop helped the students get onto the bus safely and prevented other students from getting on.
Nicole Cardinale, whose 8-year-old son was on the bus, said the incident was “really scary” for her children.
“[My son] “They weren't kids, they were carrying their mom's backpacks and they were trying to get on our bus. They said there were a lot of them,” she told the news outlet.
On Tuesday, a group of three men, believed to be migrants, were walking in the middle of a highway and tried to stop another bus, which then circled around them, Bystedt said. It was unclear whether there were students on board at the time.
There were no suspected migrants on board either bus and no injuries were reported, the report said.
Bystedt wrote that while the investigation was ongoing, buses would pass stops where migrants were nearby “for the safety of students and bus drivers” and instead go directly to the next stop on their route.
“please [vigilant] “When the bus passes by, please follow the bus and pick up your child at the next stop,” she told families in an email.
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In Wednesday's incident, a group of about 20 people believed to be immigrants attempted to board a bus carrying students along National Highway 94. (FOX 5/KUSI)
Kimberly King, public information director for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, said police are investigating to determine “whether criminal activity occurred.”
“The Sheriff's Office takes student safety issues very seriously and works with the school district to keep students and the community safe,” King said in a statement to FOX 5.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Border Patrol and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department but did not immediately receive a response.
Meanwhile, another parent, Jeremy Adams, called on the district to come up with a safety plan to ease concerns.
“We don't know who these people are, whether they have a criminal history or not. [or] “What their background is,” Adams told FOX5.
Jim Desmond, San Diego County's 5th District Executive, spoke out about the incident, writing in The X that it was the result of an open border policy.
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Migrants who entered the United States from Mexico via an abandoned railroad track are processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Jacumba Hot Springs, San Diego, California, on June 28, 2024. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
“This is horrific and should be investigated immediately,” Desmond wrote, sharing a video news report of the incident.
“Over a quarter of a million illegal immigrants have come into San Diego in the past year and this is just one example of the chaos that is happening. Thousands more illegally still coming in every day. Close the border!”
The news comes after California lawmakers advanced a bill that would provide undocumented immigrants with loans of up to $150,000 to help them buy their first home. If passed and signed into law, the bill would give first-time homebuyers up to 20% of the home's price, or up to $150,000 in down payment assistance.
