SEATTLE - A California community near San Diego has reported incidents involving people trying to board two school bus routes within the Jamul-Dulzura Union School District in San Diego County.
The first incident took place in the morning of Aug. 27, when three migrants walking in the middle of the highway tried to stop one of the district's school buses and forcing it to go around the group.
The second one happened the following day. According to witnesses, a group of as many as 20 migrants tried to board the school bus at a regular student stop. Parents present at the site helped the bus driver ensure students were safe and that no one boarded the bus.
One of the parents at that stop, Nicole Cardinale, told Fox 5 her eight-year-old son's school bus was one of the ones affected by the encounters, describing the incident as "really scary."
The group of migrants allegedly attempted to board the bus, but the Sheriff's Office said they did not try to force their way on as has been described in separate news reports. Deputies made extra patrols along the bus route during the week to make sure the route was safe.
In an emailed notice, Superintendent Liz Bystedt told families about the incidents as well as announcing that buses will now skip stops with migrants nearby, heading to the next one on the route, for "the safety of students and bus drivers."
According to Bystedt, the district reported the incidents to U.S. Border Patrol, California Highway Patrol and to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
A spokesperson with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said CBP was notified of the incidents immediately. Six migrants were detained in the Aug. 28 incident, according to CBP officials.
"All individuals taken into custody were transported to nearby processing centers for enrollment in removal proceedings," the spokesperson said.
It remains unclear if the group of migrants thought the buses were affiliated with an immigration advocacy group, but law enforcement officials suggest that was a possibility.
Pedro Rios, director of the American Friends Service Committee's U.S.-Mexico Border Program, said volunteer organizations usually do not provide transportation to migrants because of the potential legal trouble they could face.
"The assertion is that the individuals were likely migrants who had just crossed into the U.S., and that's probably the case," Rios said. "They likely saw the school bus and associated it as a mode of transportation to get them to a much more organized center."
Adriana Jasso, program coordinator for the U.S.-Mexico Border Program of the American Friends Service Committee, said there have been more migrant encounters in the Dulzura area, but not in quantities seen in other areas such as Jacumba Hot Springs or San Ysidro.
The sheriff's office said in a statement that it is not uncommon for community volunteers and immigration advocacy groups to provide resources in the part of the county where the bus routes go, some of which operate vehicles similar to school buses.
After the incidents, the Jamul-Dulzura Union School District plans to hold a community meeting on Aug. 31 to address the issue.
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