After Fleeing Violence in Guatemala, Their Child Was Killed in a U.S. School

Last updated: January 31, 2025 9:52 pm

3 Min Read

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Politics | After Fleeing Violence in Guatemala, Their Child Was Killed in a U.S. School

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A week after a 16-year-old was shot at her high school in Nashville, her parents made the wrenching decision to send her body back to Guatemala.

Josselin Corea Escalante, 16, had just celebrated her quinceañera in 2023 and was hoping to become a doctor. Credit… Landon Edwards for The New York Times Jan. 31, 2025

Josselin Corea Escalante was 9 when she and her mother and younger brother left Guatemala to seek asylum in the United States, believing it would offer them safety.

They ended up in Tennessee, where Josselin — whose family calls her Dallana, her middle name — celebrated turning 15 in 2023 with a spring quinceañera in a Nashville ballroom.

But last week, another student shot and killed Josselin, 16, in her high school cafeteria. Now her family, still waiting for an asylum decision, is questioning whether it is worth staying. The main reason they made the harrowing trip to the United States — on foot, nearly two months — was fear that Josselin and her brother would be kidnapped or killed by gangs in Guatemala.

“We had a dream for a better life,” her father, German Corea, said in Spanish this week. “But the reality is that it’s not better anywhere. In Guatemala, you’ve never heard of someone killing someone in school.”

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Josselin’s teachers and family remembered her as a vibrant young woman, who excelled at math and science and loved to sing. Credit… Landon Edwards for The New York Times Image

Another student shot and killed Josselin at school on Jan. 22. There have been at least 15 shootings on or near a school campus this year. Credit… Landon Edwards for The New York Times Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

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