11-Year-Old Bullied to Death Over ICE Policies

By Sophia YI, Staff Reporter

On Feb. 8, 11-year-old Jocelynn Rojo Carranza died in the hospital five days after her mother, Marbella Carranza, found her unresponsive in their home in Dallas Texas. Her suicide lead to reports of bullying being made against her brother and her, stating that bullies threatened to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on her family.

Carranza was in sixth grade and attended Gainesville Intermediate School where she was continuously bullied by other students who made cruel comments about her family and their immigration status. 

Her principal had paid a visit to her classroom, explaining ICE new policies in classes, prompting students to start bullying other students on the bus. The bus driver had said Carranza was not part of the victim group, but she was within earshot when a student was bullying a group of Hispanic students. After Carranza was admitted to the hospital, the school was informed and students came forward with reports of bullying against Carranza and her brother. Despite the remarks on the bus being investigated, there were many other incidents of bullying and after the investigation by the school concluded on Feb. 12, they had disciplined one student, confirming the reports of bullying against Carranza. There are no reports that the Carranza family was living in the US illegally.

The students hadn’t just reported bullying but allegations of Carranza being a victim of sexual harassment by a family member. The district was then legally required to report the allegation, leading to a CPS investigation, which cannot be shared to the public. 

Not only that, her counselor informed the district during the investigation that Carranza made no mention of bullying at school besides the example in the bus, but name calling from her siblings or getting disciplined at home. Carranza was then put in a coping group, to build management skills with her emotions and situation. The district added that Carranza’s mother would have to sign a permission slip. 

Carranza’s mother, upon hearing this, denied any signing of the document or events correlating with student reports at home. She made sure Carranza was never touched inappropriately and would always ask her. She has said that everything the district had said was false, making Carranza’s mother hire a lawyer to talk to the district. 

“I don’t know why they committed, like, why he said that, because I talk with my daughter about that, always. I ask. Nobody can touch your body. Nobody," Carranza’s mother said. 

Although this has been going on for a while, Carranza’s mother said that she never knew that this was happening since Carranza showed no signs. Even as the school counselor was aware of past bullying, they never contacted Carranza’s mother to tell her of the bullying.

The school district did not confirm whether or not they knew about the bullying that Jocelynn was facing. However, a school in the district did send out an email to parents about the incident calling it a “serious accident”, but did not cite it was due to bullying. .

Carranza’s family had set up a GoFundMe, to pay for funeral expenses as well as family expenses, due to Carranza’s mother missing work after the circumstances. The page, named “Fighting for Jocelynn Rojo Carranza Fighting for Justice,” has gained $60,495, many donations coming with comments of encouraging words and grieving for the loss. More than 1,600 people had donated, leading to Carranza’s mother disabling the fundraising as she was overwhelmed with the amount of support and is now able to cover expenses.

Carranza’s funeral was held on Wednesday. Hundreds of family and friends came together at St. Mary Catholic Church to bid farewell to Carranza. Some wore white sweatshirts with her photo, while others honored her with pastel colors like blue, lavender, and pink. The service was emotional as mourners cried while a mariachi band played soft music from the balcony. Carranza’s casket, covered with a white cloth and crucifix, was placed in the same church where she had been baptized 11 years ago. 

During the service, Deacon Gelasio Garcia spoke about how Carranza didn’t fully understand the hardships of the world. Carranza loved playing the French horn, making TikTok videos, swimming, and spending movie nights with her family. Her family recalled her as a happy, loving girl who always said “I love you.” Her friends at the Boys & Girls Club of Cooke County remembered her as sweet and fun to be around. 

“My daughter will always live for me, and I will always love her,” Carranza’s mother said.

She will be remembered as a loving daughter, sister, niece, and friend.