UPDATE (8/31/2024) - In a letter to parents dated August 30, 2024, the Jamul-Dulzura Union School District says the Sheriff's Office has completed its investigation and concluded that there "never appeared to be any intent to take over the bus or harm anyone. At no point and time did anyone other than students enter a bus or get close to entering a bus. While there are several factors that might have been at play in why (the individuals) wanted to get onto the bus, it does not appear that any of them were criminal in nature." Read the entire letter here.
ORIGINAL STORY (8/29/2024)
DULZURA - Parents in the Jamul-Dulzura Union School District said they're concerned after a group of migrants tried boarding a school bus carrying kids.
The most recent incident happened during morning pickup Wednesday along Highway 94 near Cochera Via.
It follows a similar incident that happened in the same area on Tuesday.
"It's just a concern that this, you know, the migrants are getting so comfortable. And, I don't know if it was a level of confusion. But to think that it's okay to get on a bus full of children is really scary," said Nicole Cardinale.
Cardinale's eight-year-old son was on his way to school Wednesday when a group made up of about 20 migrants tried to board the bus he was on after it stopped in Dulzura to pick up some more kids.
"He did say it was really scary. And he was saying that it was kind of confusing, I guess, being at eight years old, because they were wearing backpacks and stuff, and could almost pass as like high schoolers, but he, he did say he's like, but they, they look exactly like adults, but they were wearing backpacks, so it was really confusing," said Cardinale.
Cardinale told CBS 8 both the parents as well as the bus driver acted quickly to ensure the group didn't make it on.
Still, she says her son was so shaken up, he didn't ride the bus on Thursday.
Following the ordeal, Jamul-Dulzura Union Superintendent, Liz Bystedt sent an email to families letting them about what happened Wednesday.
She also informed them about another incident on Tuesday, when a bus had to go around a smaller group of migrants on the freeway who tried to get it to stop.
Moving forward, Bystedt says bus drivers will drive past a stop if a group of migrants are present, telling parents to pick up their child at the next one.
"We don't know who these people are. We don't know what their intentions are. We don't know if they have any criminal background history," said Jeremy Adams, a parent in the district.
Adams says it's common to see migrants in rural East County who have entered the country illegally and wind up walking through people's properties or asking for help.
But, Adams says trying to board a school bus is even more concerning.
The district is working with California Highway Patrol, the Sheriff's Office and U.S. Border Patrol.
In a statement, a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said,
"The U.S. Border Patrol, San Diego Sector is aware of two recent events involving migrant encounters near school bus stops along Highway 94 in East County San Diego. In both events, Border Patrol agents were notified and immediately responded. Several individuals were taken into custody without incident for being illegally present in the United States. All individuals taken into custody were transported to nearby processing centers for enrollment in removal proceedings.
The U.S. Border Patrol, San Diego Sector continues to encourage members of the public to dial 911 or U.S. Border Patrol dispatch directly at (619) 498-9900 if they observe suspicious activity.
Meanwhile, a law enforcement vehicle was spotted Thursday trailing a district bus on the way to school.
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