Sixth Grader Commits Suicide in Texas After Being Bullied About Deportation

Jocelynn Rojo Carranza

According to several media outlets, 11-year-old Jocelynn Rojo Carranza committed suicide after being bullied about deportation by her classmates at Gainesville Intermediate School in Gainesville, Texas.

As reported by CNN, students at Jocelynn's school were allegedly spreading rumors and speculation that immigration authorities would deport families of students at the largely Hispanic school, according to a parent and another student. Some students even reportedly threatened to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

As reported by AXIO, ICE arrested over 3,500 people during President Trump's first week in office. Even US sanctuary cities reportedly have minimal power involving deportation arrests—yet the state of Texas does not have any sanctuary cities.

Jocelynn's mother, Marbella Carranza, who confirmed her daughter was born in the United States, told CNN, "She did not find out that her daughter had been bullied and was seeing a counselor at school until after she died. The sixth grader's mother stated, "After what happened to my daughter, we talked to the investigator to find out more about what had happened to my daughter because they said it had been due to bullying, but I never knew anything about it," the mother said."  

WFAA News

Carranza continued, "Another student was taunting her daughter, saying that her family would be deported and Jocelynn would be left alone. "We don't know if she made the decision in fear of being alone … Or if she had been told to do it so that she would not be left alone," Marbella Carranza said. "These are unanswered questions that I still have, why, why did she do it," she told CNN.

Carranza found her daughter unresponsive in their home; she died five days later in a Dallas hospital, according to Yahoo.

If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. 

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