Haitian student’s family blames suicide on ICE ankle monitor

A 20-year-old Haitian college student and soccer player in Ohio died by suicide after telling his family he felt humiliated by an immigration ankle monitor, his relatives and local advocates said, placing his death at the center of growing concern over intensified enforcement affecting Haitians in Springfield.

Pierre Damas Bel died Monday after walking into oncoming traffic on Interstate 70 outside Springfield, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said. He had parked on the right shoulder before he was struck by a tractor-trailer. “Bel succumbed to fatal injuries at the scene,” the patrol said, adding that the death remains under investigation.

Hours earlier, Bel called his father from his car, according to an emailed statement reported by NBC News. His father said Bel was struggling mentally and emotionally with the shame of wearing a monitor and said he had been bullied at school.

“I told him to come home so we can talk,” Bel’s father said. “Around 11 the police showed at my door to report that my son threw himself under a truck.”

Bel’s family said the ankle monitor, placed on him by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on July 29, left him feeling degraded. “After my son was outfitted with an ankle monitor, he felt like he was treated like an animal,” his father said in a statement. He said Bel had asked ICE to remove it because he felt “embarrassed” and “humiliated” wearing it in front of classmates.

ICE confirmed to CBS News that Bel was fitted with a monitor while he continued immigration proceedings. The agency also said Bel entered the United States with government permission in 2024 through the now-defunct CBP One app, a Biden-era system that allowed migrants waiting in Mexico to request an appointment to enter the country.

ICE rejected “any attempt to blame ICE for the death,” telling CBS News: “No one is required to stay in the United States illegally and wear a GPS monitor. Illegal aliens have a lawful, voluntary option: they can self-deport through the CBP Home app. Eligible participants receive a government-arranged flight home and a $3,000 check.” In a statement to NBC News, ICE said it does not comment on the cause of death while an investigation is pending and added, “We will not speculate about unverified claims regarding other individuals.”

Bel had written publicly about the monitor. In a July 30 Instagram post cited by both CBS News and NBC News, he said he came to the United States to study, not “to commit a crime or hurt anyone.” He added: “Yet now I’m walking through the streets of the United States with a GPS monitor on my leg, carrying a feeling of shame and humiliation that I never imagined I would experience.”

Family members and advocates described Bel as an outstanding student and athlete. He attended Springfield High School, made the honor roll, joined the junior ROTC program and received a local $2,500 scholarship, NBC News reported. Advocates said he was recruited to play soccer at Wittenberg University and hoped to attend medical school. NBC News reported that he later transferred to Wright State University after he was no longer able to play for Wittenberg following the loss of his Temporary Protected Status.

Bel was among roughly 300,000 Haitian nationals who lost temporary protections at the end of July after a Supreme Court decision, making them eligible for arrest and possible deportation, the outlets reported. A Haitian American activist in touch with Bel’s family told CBS News that Bel had received TPS.

Carl Ruby, a Springfield pastor and immigration advocate, said Bel’s family wanted the public to know the death was related to immigration policies. “We do not want to politicize this, but this is a political problem, and the only solution is a political solution,” Ruby told reporters Tuesday.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called Bel’s death a “horrible tragedy” that should not have happened, NBC News reported. “I think we have to ask ourselves: Is this really good? Is it what we want done to people like this being picked up and facing deportation? Do we want that being done in our name?” he said.

Springfield is home to about 12,000 Haitians, according to NBC News. Viles Dorsainvil, co-founder and executive director of the Haitian Support Center, told the outlet that hundreds of families have sought legal help and guidance since TPS ended and that he estimates 34 people have been detained.

“I know many folks are depressed right now,” Dorsainvil said. “I never had in my mind that it would have gotten to that point.”

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.