A middle school student reported seeing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents riding the 29 Sunset bus in San Francisco Thursday, a school district official confirmed.
An email circulating on social media says a Visitacion Valley Middle School student reported that an ICE agent approached them on the bus and asked for identification. The email appeared to be from Burton High School leadership.
The note said the student who reported the incident was “safe” and with family.
“In SFUSD it is our goal to only communicate facts to our school communities, and we use our best judgment when determining how to share information,” the email read. “In this case, we recognize this incident is alarming for those who are aware of it, and we want to be proactive in letting you know about the steps being taken to keep our students, families, and staff safe.”
Officials at the two schools did not immediately respond to requests for comment. San Francisco Unified School District spokesperson Laura Dudnick confirmed that a Visitacion Valley student reported seeing an immigration officer on a city bus.
“We are working with the City of San Francisco to review this situation,” Dudnick said via email. She included a link to a letter from Superintendent Maria Su about immigrant students’ rights.
However, a representative of the San Francisco Rapid Response Network, which responds to ICE actions, said it had not verified reports of the incident.
“So far, we believe it’s a rumor,” the representative said. “Our message to the public is: Don’t spread rumors.”
The representative added that the network had received about 20 calls from families, city agencies, and school district officials seeking information about the reports, but none from people with knowledge of the incident.
A separate message sent from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to Muni operators appeared to be prompted by the incident. “In the event of law enforcement boarding your coach and identifying themselves as ICE agents, please call TMC immediately priority,” the message reads.
An SFMTA spokesperson said the agency has not been able to confirm the report and referred The Standard to the mayor’s office. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office declined to comment Thursday night while the review is underway.
Renee Penton of Mission Action, which verifies reported ICE sightings as part of a local network of immigration defense organizations, said the report of ICE boarding Muni has not been verified.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Chris Ballard, executive director of youth nonprofit Coleman Advocates, said that even if the rumor is false, it reflects the spiking anxieties of San Franciscans worried about ICE. He referenced Bakersfield, where parents fearing ICE raids are staying home from work and keeping their children home from school.
“How did we get here?” Ballard said. “How did we go backward four years?”
Jonah Owen Lamb contributed to this report.