Breaking down claim Texas girl took her life because bullies threatened to report her family to ICE
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health, suicide or substance use crisis or emotional distress, reach out 24/7 to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) by dialing or texting 988 or using chat services at suicidepreventionlifeline.org to connect to a trained crisis counselor.
In February 2025, social media users claimed an 11-year-old girl in Texas took her own life after bullies at her school threatened to report her family to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to get them deported.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DGOYOPGogf1/
One Instagram user posted a photo allegedly showing the girl (archived), with text beneath the picture reading:
A 6th grader in Texas took her life because she was getting bullied by kids telling her that they're going to call ice on her parents and that she would end up alone ... Justice for Jocelynn Rojo Carranza.
Others wrote that Jocelynn's classmates at Gainesville Intermediate School "mocked her family's immigration status" and that her parents were "never informed" about the harassment. They also speculated on the reason she took her life, saying she had been "tormented" by "relentless bullying" (archived, archived).
Several news media outlets also reported on the circumstances surrounding her death, such as Newsweek and CNN. According to the reports, Jocelynn's mother, Marbella Carranza, received a call on Feb. 3, during which she was informed her daughter had attempted to take her own life at their home. Jocelynn was taken to an intensive care unit in Dallas, where she died five days later.
The Dallas County medical examiner's public information records confirm the 11-year-old died at Medical City Children's Hospital on Feb. 8. It listed the manner of death as suicide (her case can be found by typing her first name and Rojo, one of her family names, into the search fields of the link provided).
Multiple news media outlets published photos of Jocelynn, confirming she was the girl in the social media posts.
The sixth-grader's mother told Spanish-language TV station Univision during an interview that her daughter had been bullied at Gainesville Intermediate School. That interview also featured pictures of the 11-year-old.
Carranza said Jocelynn's fellow students threatened to call ICE because her family was Hispanic and told her she would be "alone" once her parents were deported. She added that the school did not inform her about the difficulties her daughter faced and that Jocelynn had been attending school counseling sessions one to two times a week.
The death comes after U.S. President Donald Trump promised that his administration would conduct mass arrests and deportations of immigrants living in the country illegally starting on the first day of his presidency.
Gainesville Independent School District said via email that it is unable to release information related to specific students or incidents but that it has several policies in place to tackle bullying:
The top priority of the Gainesville ISD is to ensure a safe and comfortable learning environment for all students. Because of this, we take any reports of bullying at our schools very seriously and have a zero-tolerance policy.
Whenever we receive a report of bullying, we respond swiftly to ensure all students are safe physically and emotionally. While we cannot release any information about specific students or incidents, our schools have several policies in place to combat bullying and resolve conflicts.
These policies provide opportunities to report such behavior. If a report arises, the District immediately takes all steps necessary to respond appropriately. We have been, and will continue to be proactive in our efforts to make sure our schools are safe, secure, and free from harassment.
Kevin Phillips, chief of police at the Gainesville Police Department, said via email that the incident was still being actively investigated. He also explained that the bullying allegations were being investigated by the school district's police department. Therefore, it has not been possible to determine what role the alleged bullying played in Jocelynn's death. We will update this article if more information is released.
Snopes also contacted Jocelynn's father, Ernesto Alonso Rojo, via a GoFundMe page. We will also update this report if he replies.
"Dallas County Medical Examiner Public Info." Dallascounty.org, www.dallascounty.org/mepi/searchByCase. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
Deng, Grace. 'Trump Promised Mass Arrests of Undocumented Migrants "on Day 1." Here's What Has Happened'. Snopes, 24 Jan. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//news/2025/01/23/ice-raids-what-we-know/.
"Donate to Pray for Jocelynn Rojo, Organized by Ernesto Alonso Rojo." Gofundme.com, Feb. 2025, www.gofundme.com/f/prayers-and-help-for-jocelynns-recovery. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
""GREAT AGAIN"?? I DON'T THINK SO…." Instagram, 18 Feb. 2020, www.instagram.com/realdlhughley/p/DGOxlLIS2TU/?img_index=1. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
Killough, Lauren Mascarenhas, Ed Lavandera, Ashley. 'An 11-Year-Old Girl in Texas Died by Suicide after She Was Bullied about Her Family's Immigration Status, Her Mother Says'. CNN, 19 Feb. 2025, https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/19/us/jocelynn-rojo-carranza-gainesville-texas-death/index.html.
Martinez, Maryann. 'Deportation Fear Lead Girl, 11, to Take Her Own Life in Texas'. Mail Online, 19 Feb. 2025, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14413683/Texas-girl-took-life-suicide-deportation-ICE-Jocelynn-Rojo-Carranza.html.
Odisho, Taylor. "11-Year-Old Texas Girl Bullied over Family's Immigration Status Takes Her Own Life." Latin Times, 18 Feb. 2025, www.latintimes.com/11-year-old-texas-girl-bullied-over-familys-immigration-status-takes-her-own-life-575984. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
Rahman, Billal. "Texas Schoolgirl Takes Her Own Life after Bullies Threaten to Call ICE." Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025, www.newsweek.com/texas-schoolgirl-suicide-bullied-ice-immigration-2033043. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
"Texas 6th Grader Reportedly Takes Her Own Life after Bullies..." Instagram, 18 Feb. 2020, www.instagram.com/balleralert/p/DGOm-vSK00v/?img_index=1. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
"The Other 98% on Instagram." Instagram, 18 Feb. 2025, www.instagram.com/other98/p/DGOYOPGogf1/?hl=en. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
Univision. "Madre Pide Investigar La Muerte de Su Hija Tras Presunto Acoso En Escuela de Gainesville." Univision, 14 Feb. 2025, www.univision.com/local/dallas-kuvn/madre-pide-investigar-la-muerte-de-su-hija-tras-presunto-acoso-en-escuela-de-gainesville-video. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
Univision DFW. "Madre Pide Investigar La Muerte de Su Hija Tras Presunto Acoso En Escuela de Gainesville." YouTube, 17 Feb. 2025, www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwMGdnM24Cw. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
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