An 11-year-old Texas schoolgirl, Jocelynn Rojo Carranza, tragically took her own life after enduring bullying from classmates who threatened to report her family to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Jocelynn had faced months of harassment at her Gainesville school, where classmates taunted her over her family’s immigration status and claimed she would be left alone in the U.S. once her family was deported, according to media reports. There is no indication that the Carranza family was living in the U.S. illegally.
On February 3, Jocelynn’s mother, Marbella Carranza, a single parent, received a call informing her that her daughter had attempted to take her own life at their home. Jocelynn was rushed to an intensive care unit in Dallas, where she fought for her life but passed away on February 8, according to a GoFundMe page set up by the family.
“I waited a whole week for a miracle that my daughter would be well, but unfortunately, nothing could be done,” Marbella Carranza told Univision. “My daughter will always live for me, and I will always love her.”
Gainesville Intermediate School was aware of the bullying Jocelynn endured, particularly the threats that she would be abandoned if her parents were deported. She met with a school counselor multiple times a week, but her family was never informed of the severity of the situation.
Marbella Carranza only learned about the bullying after Jocelynn’s death. She is now working with investigators and school officials to understand what led to the tragedy and why her family was kept in the dark.
Jocelynn’s death occurred amid the Trump administration’s heightened efforts to deport undocumented immigrants. Just days later, on February 18, the White House shared a video showing migrants being shackled and escorted onto a plane bound for an undisclosed location.
