In the midst of the wave of deportations in the United States, orchestrated by President Donald Trump, a school bus driver sparked outrage on social media after prohibiting students from speaking Spanish on board the bus.
This occurred in the Juniata County School District, a rural area in Pennsylvania, where the driver, whose name was not revealed, placed a sign at the front of the bus requesting that only English be spoken.
“Out of respect for students who only speak English, NO Spanish will be allowed on this bus!“, the handwritten banner reads.
School bus driver suspended for prohibiting children from speaking Spanish
Images of this sign quickly went viral on social media, reaching the hands of Rohrer Bus, the company responsible for the transportation, which stated that the notice was not authorized and does not reflect the company’s policies.
According to David Schrantz, Vice President of Rohrer Bus, the driver was immediately suspended from his position while the incident is being investigated, meaning he is no longer transporting students.
“We recognize the seriousness of this situation and the impact it may have on our community,” he stated.
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For her part, Christie L. Holderman, Superintendent of the school district, described the sign as “inappropriate” in a message directed to families, emphasizing that the contractor’s actions do not reflect the values of the school district.
Data from the National Center for Education Statistics reveals that Juniata County has a population of 23,049 residents. Of this total, 93% identify as white and 4% as Hispanic or Latino. Additionally, about 91% of children use only English as their language at home.
Deportations increase in the United States
Since President Donald Trump took office on January 20, deportations in the United States have increased significantly, as have incidents against the Latino community in the country.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency reported an increase in arrests nationwide last week, with an average of between 900 and 1,200 people detained per day. In contrast, the daily average of detentions in 2024 was 311.
By February 5 of this year, the Trump administration had deported a total of 4,745 undocumented Latin American immigrants, who were returned to their respective countries of origin. Of these, 4,094 were Mexican citizens, highlighting Mexico as one of the leading countries of origin for immigration to the United States.
Protests against deportations in the United States
The wave of deportations ordered by President Donald Trump has sparked a series of protests across the country. One of them, organized by workers of Latin American origin, called on social media for all migrants to stay home from work in order to show how essential Latinos are to the U.S. economy.
The ‘Freeze Latino Movement’ also emerged on social media, which involves avoiding the consumption of products made by U.S. brands or refraining from visiting their commercial chains. The ‘Freeze Latino Movement’ not only aims to generate an impact on large corporations but also to highlight the fundamental role of the Latino community in the U.S. economy.
The organizers of this movement have called on the entire Latino community to stop shopping at commercial chains like Walmart and Costco, as well as various restaurants, including Starbucks and McDonald’s. They have also targeted Coca-Cola, whose diet soda is the favorite of President Trump.
