Migrants approached school buses, did not try to 'hijack' them | Fact check

Joedy McCreary, USA TODAY

The claim: ‘Illegal aliens’ attempted to ‘hijack’ California school buses

An Aug. 29 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) includes a clip of a TV news broadcast about an incident involving school buses and immigrants lacking permanent legal status.

“BREAKING: Illegal aliens tried to hijack 2 buses full of kids in San Diego,” reads on-screen text in the video.

The Instagram post received more than 8,000 likes in a day. Similar versions spread widely on Instagram, on Facebook and on X, formerly Twitter, where they were amplified by Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of the platform.

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Our rating: False

The post mischaracterizes two incidents involving migrants who approached school buses at stops on their routes. There were no hijackings attempted, and authorities said no crimes were committed and no one forcefully attempted to stop or enter the vehicles.

‘No crime was committed,’ sheriff's office says

Border security remains a pivotal issue in the presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, and former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee. The Instagram post taps into that by referring to Aug. 27 and Aug. 28 incidents north of the U.S.-Mexico border and east of San Diego involving migrants who approached school buses. Those encounters led a school district to notify parents, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the East County Sheriff's Office.

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But the post mischaracterizes those incidents. Contrary to its central claim, no hijackings were attempted. The deputies’ investigation determined that no crimes were committed and no one forcefully attempted to stop or enter the vehicles, according to media reports.

Six migrants were detained following the Aug. 28 incident for being illegally present in the U.S. and were processed for removal, a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told The San Diego Union-Tribune. An unspecified number were detained after the first incident.

While the migrants may have approached the buses by accident, they did not use force in doing so, according to a sheriff’s office spokesperson.

“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, according to the Union-Tribune. “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.”

Concerns about the border have spawned misinformation. USA TODAY has previously debunked false claims that Harris was put in charge of the border and that 51 million “illegals” have entered the U.S. during Harris’ term as vice president.

USA TODAY reached out to social media users who shared the post but did not immediately receive responses.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Migrants approached school buses, didn't hijack them | Fact check

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