A Texas 11-year-old died from suicide earlier this month after being bullied at school. Classmates harassed Jocelynn Rojo Carranza at Gainesville Intermediate School. They allegedly threatened to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on her family. According to KGNS, the child’s mother, Marbella Carranza, claims students taunted Jocelyn repeatedly about her family’s immigration status while saying her family was in the United States illegally.

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Now, Carranza is seeking justice for the school’s failure to stop the bullying allegedly leading to her daughter’s death.

Classmates bullied the young girl for weeks before she took her own life

According to her mother, sixth grader Jocelynn Rojo Carranza never showed signs of bullying at home.

“My daughter never showed changes,” Carranza told CNN in Spanish on February 20. ” I mean, there was never anything that gave me a sign that she was suffering from bullying.”

However, she says school officials knew the bullying was happening and didn’t do anything about it. She claims investigators said her daughter was receiving counseling at school.

“It appears the school was aware of it all, but they never told me it was happening with my daughter,” she told KUVN. “It appears she would go once or twice a week to counseling to report what was happening.”

According to CNN, rumors and speculations about ICE were rampant at the school for days. In an interview, Jessi Noble, another student’s mother, claimed her daughter consistently came home from school crying and expressing fear for her Latino friends.

“People had been telling her friends that were Hispanic that they were getting deported, that ICE was coming for them,” Noble told CNN. “And she was just terrified.”

After her suicide attempt, Jocelynn was hospitalized for a week before her death on February 8.

“I waited a whole week for a miracle that my daughter would be well, but unfortunately, nothing could be done,” Marbella said in an interview with Univision. “My daughter will always live for me, and I will always love her.”

The child’s death comes after ICE raids have been terrorizing immigrants in the United States

Jocelynn’s untimely death comes after President Donald Trump’s use of ICE to terrorize immigrant communities. For weeks, ICE has been used against immigrants, disregarding status or criminality. Additionally, hate speech toward Latino immigrants, including claims they’re “eating” dogs and cats, are taking jobs, and are violent immigrants has raised bigotry against Latinos.

Currently, under federal law, being undocumented is a civil offense, not a crime. Several legal avenues are informing immigrants of their rights to ensure they are well informed in case of being involved in an ICE raid.

Jocelynn’s death has sparked concern regarding bullying policies at the Gainesville Independent School District. In a general statement, the district stated they take these allegations “very seriously.”

“We want to emphasize that we take all reports of bullying and student safety concerns very seriously,” the statement said. “Our district follows strict protocols for investigating any allegations, and we are committed to fostering a safe and supportive environment for every student.”