An extremely heart-rending incident of bullying has been the cause of an 11-year-old boy’s taking his own life, who was driven to such extreme measures by his peers’ threats of reporting his family to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The victim, at some point identified as a student at in. Relatives and local advocates reported to the media that he was a continuous target of cruel and racially-motivated bullying, with the offenders targeting his or his family’s legal status.
The harassment culminated in direct death threats, and the boy could not tolerate the situation anymore. He was so scared that he preferred to take his life. His tragic death has not only left his family, but also the whole community, distraught.
The heart-wrenching incident has given rise to a strong public reaction that leads to the call for reinforcement regarding the government’s services to prevent bullying that may happen in schools with immigrant students or among their families who may face such threats.
His family spoke of a desperate feeling and a complete lack of ability to help that surrounded the child at that time. “It’s like someone tore out the pages of a storybook full of love, and like someone turned off the light that let me see that light at the end of the tunnel,” said a family spokesperson.
Advocates are demanding the truth from the school about whether something was done to stop thebullyingng and they demand the truth. They share a common aim with the local community, who also desire to know about the schools’ plans on how to support immigrant children better, and also educate them about making such severe threats.
In case you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, there is help out there. You can call the [National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988] or [Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741].
