Migrants Attempt To Board Schoolkids' Bus In California

An activist said that migrants may have been desperate to board a school bus, while insisting asylum is a human right.

Jamul school bus screen grab

According to local reports, school children and their parents were frightened in California when allegedly illegal aliens attempted to board occupied school buses on two occasions.

The Jamul-Dulzura Union School District is located in an isolated rural area about 30 miles from San Diego. In an email sent by Superintendent Liz Bystedt to parents said that the first incident occurred on school bus Route A and near the intersection of Highway 94 and Cochera via on August 27. Bystedt wrote that three men were observed walking in the middle of the road and attempted to stop the bus. She wrote that the bus driver decided to “go around” the men.

On the morning of August 28, a school on Route B was waiting to collect students at the same stop, when a group of some 20 people came to the site. Parents on-hand ensured that no  migrants boarded the bus. According to Bystedt, the district reported the incidents to U.S. Border Patrol, California Highway Patrol and San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

An eight-year-old boy on one of the buses said that adults wearing backpacks attempted to board his school bus. The boy’s mother told local TV news that the incident was “definitely very scary.” Local parents are demanding accountability on the part of the school district, citing concerns over child safety and that the migrants might have a criminal history.

Border activist Pedro Rios told FOX that the migrants may have been desperate and had assumed the bus would take them to their destination. “First and foremost there has to be an acknowledge by the Biden administration that asylum is a human right.”

According to Fox News,Kimberly King said: “The San Diego Sheriff’s Office was made aware of this incident today. We are conducting a follow up investigation 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.”

It is not clear whether the two groups were coordinated. There were no injuries to students, staff, or migrants reported. 

Bystedt added that “for the safety of students and bus drivers” buses will drive past stops with migrants nearby and go on to the next stop on the designated route. “Please stay [vigilant] and if the bus drives by, please follow the bus to pick up your child at the next stop,” her email said. On August 29, the school’s director of maintenance and operations followed the buses to ensure their safety. 

Jamul is within the district of U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican. 

Topic tags:
crime california human rights Children