Latest news with #JocelynnRojoCarranza
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Yahoo
Texas 11-year-old dies by suicide after alleged bullying over family's immigration status
GAINSVILLE, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- An 11-year-old Texas girl died by suicide after reportedly being bullied at school over her family's immigration status, according to media outlets. The girl, identified in an online obituary as Jocelynn Rojo Carranza, was a sixth-grader at Gainesville Intermediate School. Prior to her death, Jocelynn had been bullied by classmates who allegedly threatened to call immigration authorities because of her family's Hispanic background, her mother, Marbella Carranza, told news outlets. 'Because her parents were Hispanic, they were going to call immigration to take her parents and she would be alone,' Carranza said. Jocelynn died at a Dallas hospital on Feb. 8, five days after her mother found her unresponsive at home, according to the obituary. The girl had reportedly been attending counseling sessions to address the bullying once or twice a week before her death, though her mother said school officials did not inform her of the sessions until police notified her, according to media outlets. Gainesville Independent School District police are investigating the bullying allegations, media outlets reported. In a statement to media outlets, the district said, '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.' Jocelynn enjoyed dancing, singing, playing the French horn, swimming, and getting her nails done with her grandmother, her obituary stated. Her funeral was held Wednesday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Gainesville. Prior to her death, Jocelynn's father, Ernesto Alonso Rojo had set up a GoFundMe. The latest update read: Thank you very much God bless each and every one of your family members please pray for the eternal rest of my little princess No to bullying, No to racism… Muchas gracias Dios los bendiga a todos y cada uno de sus familiares por favor oren por el eterno descanso de my little princess No al bullying No al racismo …#justiciaparajocelynn You may find that GoFundMe page here. If you or a loved one is experiencing a crisis or suicidal thoughts, there is help available. Call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Yahoo
11-year-old Texas girl was bullied to suicide over family's immigration status, mom says
An 11-year-old Texas girl died by suicide after her family says she was bullied at school over the family's immigration status, Dallas' Univision station KUVN reported. The girl, identified in an online obituary as Jocelynn Rojo Carranza, was a sixth-grader at Gainesville Intermediate School. Prior to her death, Jocelynn had been bullied by classmates who threatened to call ICE over the family's immigration status, her mother, Marbella Carranza, told Univision. 'Because her parents were Hispanic, they were going to call immigration to take her parents and she would be alone,' Carranza said. Jocelynn died at a Dallas hospital on Feb. 8, five days after her mother found her unresponsive at home, according to the obituary. The girl had been going to counseling to report the bullying once or twice a week prior to her death, but her mother said school officials did not inform her of this until police told her, CNN reported. Gainesville Independent School District police are investigating the allegations of bullying, according to CNN. In a statement to CNN, the district said, '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.' 🚨 More top stories from our newsroom: → Tarrant County urges schools to prioritize reading → Woman chased & rammed SUV, killed boyfriend: warrant → Fort Worth ISD board names Molinar finalist for superintendent [Get our breaking news alerts.] As of Wednesday night, comments on the district's Facebook page have been limited to only those who have followed the page for more than 24 hours. Jocelynn loved to dance and sing, played the French horn, and enjoyed swimming and getting her nails done with her grandma, according to her obituary. Her funeral was held Wednesday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Gainesville. If you or a loved one is experiencing a crisis or suicidal thoughts, there is help available. Call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Yahoo
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 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. 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." 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, "Donate to Pray for Jocelynn Rojo, Organized by Ernesto Alonso Rojo." Feb. 2025, Accessed 19 Feb. 2025. ""GREAT AGAIN"?? I DON'T THINK SO…." Instagram, 18 Feb. 2020, 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, Martinez, Maryann. 'Deportation Fear Lead Girl, 11, to Take Her Own Life in Texas'. Mail Online, 19 Feb. 2025, Odisho, Taylor. "11-Year-Old Texas Girl Bullied over Family's Immigration Status Takes Her Own Life." Latin Times, 18 Feb. 2025, Accessed 19 Feb. 2025. Rahman, Billal. "Texas Schoolgirl Takes Her Own Life after Bullies Threaten to Call ICE." Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025, Accessed 19 Feb. 2025. "Texas 6th Grader Reportedly Takes Her Own Life after Bullies..." Instagram, 18 Feb. 2020, Accessed 19 Feb. 2025. "The Other 98% on Instagram." Instagram, 18 Feb. 2025, Accessed 19 Feb. 2025. Univision. "Madre Pide Investigar La Muerte de Su Hija Tras Presunto Acoso En Escuela de Gainesville." Univision, 14 Feb. 2025, 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, Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
11-year-old took her own life after classmates threatened to call ICE on her family, devastated mother reveals
An 11-year-old girl took her own life in Texas after she was tormented by classmates who threatened to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities and have her family deported from the U.S, her grieving parents have said. Jocelynn Rojo Carranza passed away on February 8 after spending five days being treated in a Dallas hospital. This came after she was taunted with deportation threats for weeks by sixth-grade classmates at Gainesville Intermediate School, around 70 miles north of Dallas, her mother Marbella Carranza told Univision. Her death comes amid President Donald Trump's ordering for the 'largest deportation operation in American history,' prompting agents with ICE and other federal authorities to launch targeted raids on approximately 12 million undocumented immigrants nationwide. For Jocelyn however, the climate of fear became all too grave. Classmates allegedly harassed the young girl by telling her she would be left alone without her family once they were deported. But the alleged abuse spiraled, and despite reportedly informing school officials on numerous occasions, no action was taken to stop it. When asked to comment on this story, the Gainesville Independent School District did not acknowledge Carranza's death but rather issued a statement pointing to its strict anti-bullying code. 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.' Her mother revealed to the outlet her daughter had been seeing a school counselor multiple times per week. ICE officials have nearly doubled their daily arrest rate as part of the crackdown since Trump's inauguration and over 10,000 people have already been deported on military flights widely publicized by the White House. A GoFundMe donation page was created while the 11-year-old was desperately fighting to survive in hospital. Her father Ernesto Alonso Rojo, shared a statement on February 15: '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 wrote an emotive message of condolence, posting in Spanish: '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.' If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988 or visit to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to to find a helpline near you. In the UK, people having mental health crises can contact the Samaritans at 116 123 or jo@
