02/22/2025
https://www.facebook.com/share/1A7m7iZjva/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v
Eleven-year-old Jocelynn Rojo Carranza died by su***de last week after spending five days in a Dallas hospital, following persistent bullying about her family's immigration status by other students at Gainesville Intermediate School in Texas. "The kids said because your family is Hispanic, that they were going to call ICE so her parents could be taken away and she would be left alone," her mother Marbella Carranza told local Univision station. Another parent, Jessi Noble, confirmed through her own daughter that such threats were common at the school. "There was talk of, 'I'm gonna call ICE on your family. You're gonna get deported.' Just a lot of fear, a lot of picking at each other," Noble said, adding sadly, "I was sad for the kids to be afraid of something they shouldn't worry about at that age."
The tragedy comes amid President Donald Trump's recent order for what he called the "largest deportation operation in American history," which has authorized ICE and other federal authorities to conduct raids on approximately 12 million undocumented immigrants nationwide. While Trump has repeatedly stated that the administration is prioritizing deporting the "worst criminal aliens” and violent offenders, new Immigration and Customs Enforcement data released this week shows that over 40% of those detained during the first half of February had no criminal convictions or pending charges. The Trump administration also eliminated long-standing protections from immigration arrests at sensitive locations such as school and churches, further contributing to the climate of fear in many immigrant communities.
The Gainesville Independent School District is now facing scrutiny over its handling of the situation, as Carranza claims the school was aware of the bullying and provided her daughter with counseling but never informed her of these issues. "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," she said. The Gainesville Independent School District Police is currently investigating the bullying allegations. At her funeral on Wednesday at St. Mary Catholic Church, hundreds gathered to remember Jocelynn, who was born in Gainesville in 2013, and her love for playing French horn, making TikTok videos, swimming, and doing cartwheels. A joyful presence in her community, Jocelynn's mother said through tears: "Please remember her kindly because she was a very happy girl. Every day, she would tell me that she loved me."
Jocelynn's death comes occurs against a backdrop of hostile and dehumanizing rhetoric toward immigrants from national leaders. Similar to how fascist leaders such as the N***s used propaganda to deride and dehumanize Jews and other groups in the 1930s, frequently referring to them as "parasites," "social pollution," and "criminals," Trump has long used similar degrading language toward immigrants. He accused them of "poisoning the blood of our country" in 2023, parroting the N**i Party's common references to blood and purity. Again, echoing the N***s frequent derision of minorities as animals and vermin, Trump's repeatedly referred to immigrants as animals while campaigning; in one instance last April, asserting "No, they’re not humans, they’re not humans. They’re animals.”
Trump's dehumanizing treatment of immigrants has continued and he is now using the world's largest bully pulpit to spread this cruel message. This week, the White House posted a video on social media mocking immigrants being deported, showing ICE officials placing people in chains and handcuffs before boarding planes. The post was labeled "ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight" -- cynically appropriating a term for soothing, pleasurable sensations triggered by gentle sounds that has become a popular relaxation video format. The video, which was reposted by Elon Musk with laughing emojis and viewed over 68 million times, sparked widespread backlash online, with many calling it "disgusting" and "cruel." This public spectacle of deportation operations, coupled with statements from Trump officials promising to "hunt down" undocumented immigrants, reflects a broader pattern of dehumanizing rhetoric that appears to be filtering down even to school playgrounds with tragic results.
Jocelynn's family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover medical costs and now funeral expenses at https://www.gofundme.com/f/prayers-and-help-for-jocelynns-recovery
For children's books that encourage empathy and understanding of Mighty Girl immigrants of the past and present, visit our blog post, "A New Land, A New Life: 25 Mighty Girl Books About the Immigrant Experience" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12855
For a powerful children's book about a young girl who regrets failing to stand up for a bullied classmate and decides that she's “never going to stand by and say nothing again,” we highly recommend "The Hundred Dresses" for ages 6 to 10 at https://www.amightygirl.com/the-hundred-dresses
For books about Mighty Girls who stand together for justice and acceptance of all people, visit our blog post "Standing Together: 50 Mighty Girl Books Celebrating Diversity and Acceptance” at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=13481
For two books to help give tweens and teens the confidence to stand up against bullying or intolerance, we highly recommend “Stand Up For Yourself and Your Friends” for age 7 to 12 (https://www.amightygirl.com/stand-up-for-yourself-and-your-friends) and “Express Yourself: A Teen Girl’s Guide to Speaking Up and Being Who You Are” for age 13 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/express-yourself-guide)
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To read more about Jocelynn's death on CNN, visit https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/19/us/jocelynn-rojo-carranza-gainesville-texas-death/index.html
