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Migrant groups attempt to board school buses in California: report
Two separate incidents took place in the same district within 24 hours
By Michael Dorgan Fox News
Published August 29, 2024 2:46pm EDT | Updated August 29, 2024 3:11pm EDT
A group of around 20 suspected illegal migrants attempted to board a school bus picking up elementary students in California on Wednesday, according to local reports, worrying parents.
The incident unfolded just 24 hours after a smaller group of suspected migrants tried to get on another school bus in the same district, according to local media citing education officials.
The two incidents took place within the Jamul-Dulzura Union School District in San Diego County, which is about 11 miles north of the southern border.
The Wednesday incident saw a group of 20 migrants try to get on a bus picking up students along highway 94, FOX 5 reports, citing an emailed notice sent to student families from the district’s superintendent, Liz Bystedt.
However, parents present at the stop helped the students get onto the bus safely and ensured no others boarded.
Nicole Cardinale, whose 8-year-old son was on the bus, said the encounter was "really scary" for the children.
"[My son] said these adults, they weren’t kids, he said they had backpacks on Mom, and they were trying to get on our bus. He said there was a lot of them," she told the outlet.
On Tuesday, a group composed of three suspected migrant males was walking in the middle of the highway and allegedly tried to stop another bus, prompting it to "go around" the group, according to Bystedt. It’s unclear if students were on the bus at the time.
No suspected migrants boarded either bus and no injuries were reported, according to the outlet.
Bystedt wrote that while an investigation is being carried out, buses will drive past stops with migrants nearby and will instead head directly to the next one on the route "for the safety of students and bus drivers."
"Please stay [vigilant] and if the bus drives by, please follow the bus to pick up your child at the next stop," she told families in the emailed notice.
Kimberly King, the media relations director for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, said police are investigating to determine if "a criminal act has occurred."
"The Sheriff’s Office takes issues regarding student safety very seriously and are working with the school district in order to keep the students and our community safe," King said in a statement to FOX 5.
Fox News Digital reached out to 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 quell fears.
"We don’t know who these people are, we don’t know if they have any criminal history [or] what their background is," Adams told FOX 5.
Jim Desmond, a San Diego County Supervisor representing the Fifth District, sounded off on the incidents, writing on X that they were the result of an open border policy.
"This is horrific and deserves an immediate investigation," Desmond wrote, sharing a video news report about the incident.
"Over 250,000 illegal immigrants have entered San Diego in the past year and this is just another example of the chaos that is occurring. We are still seeing thousands enter every day. Shut down the border!"
The news comes after California lawmakers advanced a bill that would give illegal immigrants up to $150,000 in first-time homeownership loans. If passed and signed into law, it would give first-time homebuyers up to 20% of a home's value or up to $150,000 as down payment assistance.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
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