Two groups of migrants approached school buses on their routes twice this week in East County near the U.S.-Mexico border, prompting an investigation by the Sheriff’s Office and a letter to parents from the Jamul-Dulzura Union School District.
“Sheriff’s deputies determined that no one forcefully tried to stop or enter the school buses, therefore no crime was committed,” sheriff’s spokesperson Kimberly King said Thursday in a statement. “It is not uncommon for community volunteers and charitable organizations to provide resources in these parts of the county, some of which operate vehicles similar to school buses.”
A spokesperson with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that the U.S. Border Patrol was notified and immediately responded to both incidents, which occurred Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Several individuals were taken into custody without incident for being illegally present in the United States,” the spokesperson said. “All individuals taken into custody were transported to nearby processing centers for enrollment in removal proceedings.” Six migrants were detained in the Wednesday incident, according to CBP, and a number was not provided for the prior incident.
At least one incident occurred about 3 miles north of the border close to the intersection of Cochera Via Drive and Highway 94, officials said.
Both the Sheriff’s Office and CBP said extra patrols were being conducted in the area to ensure safety.
In areas near the San Diego-Mexico border, migrants, many of them asylum seekers, typically wait for the Border Patrol to pick them up for processing and are served by humanitarian groups while they wait.
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Recently, there have been more migrant encounters in the Dulzura area, but not in numbers previously seen in other areas such as Jacumba Hot Springs or San Ysidro, according to Adriana Jasso, program coordinator for the U.S.-Mexico border program of the American Friends Service Committee.
“The Sheriff’s Office recognizes the concern from the community and has been working alongside the Jamul-Dulzura Union School District to provide reassurance to the families impacted by these events,” King said.
School district Superintendent Liz Bystedt said Wednesday in a letter sent to families that both incidents involved people either “trying to stop or board a bus at a bus stop.”
“We will continue to work with law enforcement on the matter,” she said. “We have put additional protocols in place and notified parents of bus riders.”
