An 11-year-old girl in Texas tragically ended her life after classmates at her school repeatedly threatened to have her family deported, her heartbroken parents have shared.
Jocelynn Romo Carranza died on February 8, following five days of treatment in a Dallas hospital. This came after being bullied for weeks by classmates at Gainesville Intermediate School, who told her they would call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on her family, her mother Marbella Carranza said in an interview with Univision.
Jocelynn’s death came during a time when the fear of deportation was high across the U.S. President Donald Trump had ordered an aggressive crackdown on undocumented immigrants, leading to increased ICE raids and deportations across the country.
For Jocelynn, the bullying became unbearable. Classmates reportedly told her that if her family was deported, she would be left behind alone. Despite informing school officials about the harassment multiple times, Jocelynn’s family says no action was taken to stop it.
Carranza told Univision, “I waited a whole week for a miracle that my daughter would be well, but unfortunately nothing could be done.”
“My daughter will always live for me, and I will always love her.”
Jocelynn had been seeing a school counselor several times a week, her mother added.
The fear of deportation, which was part of a larger government crackdown, had a heavy toll on the young girl. In the months leading up to her death, ICE had been arresting more people, and over 10,000 had already been deported.
A GoFundMe page was set up while Jocelynn was fighting for her life in the hospital. Her father, Ernesto Alonso Rojo, shared a message on February 15, asking for prayers and support: “Please all help me and my daughter Jocelynn Rojo. She needs to come back home; she is in an emergency children’s hospital. Any help, God blesses you back. Thank you very much to all praying. Dios los bendiga y le mande salud a mi niña!!!”
One person shared a heartfelt message of sympathy: “My deepest condolences — there are no words. Fight for justice for your beloved Jocelynn, and hopefully one day you will feel peace knowing that she is no longer suffering and that so many have her in their thoughts and prayers.”
