Haitian college student in Ohio dies by apparent suicide after losing TPS status, family says

A 20-year-old Haitian immigrant living in Springfield, Ohio, died on Monday after parking his vehicle on the right shoulder of Interstate 70 and walking into oncoming traffic, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol. Bel succumbed to fatal injuries at the scene, Ohio State Highway Patrol said in a statement, adding that the incident remains under investigation. Family and local community advocates assert that Pierre Damas Bel died by suicide driven by fear of deportation and the humiliation of wearing a tracking device.

Temporary Protected Status and Haitian Migrants

Bel had been living in the United States under Temporary Protected Status — known as TPS — for about 2 years. TPS allows people from countries experiencing war, political instability, or natural disasters to live and work legally in the U.S. for a limited time. The Supreme Court recently allowed the Trump administration to move forward with ending the program for thousands of Haitian migrants, potentially exposing roughly 350,000 Haitian nationals to removal.

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Department of Homeland Security Ankle Monitors

In the weeks leading up to his death, Bel was among some Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio area who have been required by the Department of Homeland Security to wear ankle monitors. His father told The Haitian Times that his son was “distraughtafter weeks of wearing an ankle monitor. His father said he wastreated like an animal” after receiving his ankle monitor, according to WSYX.

A month before his death, Bel spoke out about his experience wearing an ankle monitor. I came to this country to pursue my education. I didn't come here to commit a crime or hurt anyone, he wrote on social media. 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, he added. I came here to study, to build my future and to live a better [life,] not to be treated like a criminal. So now, how am I supposed to play college sports with a GPS monitor on my leg?

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Pastor Carl Ruby Statement on President Donald Trump

Springfield pastor Carl Ruby said on Monday that the family believes Bel took his own life as a result of President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda that targeted TPS. I'm sitting with a family right now whose son threw himself in front of semi truck today after being teased by fellow students at Wright State about his ankle monitor, Ruby wrote on Facebook. Bel’s father, Pierre Ronal Bel, said in a statement read by Pastor Carl Ruby: In his last days, I did not recognize him as he was such an energetic kid who loves life, friends and family, and education.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, said Tuesday that Bel’s death is a horrible, horrible tragedy. He graduated from high school here, DeWine said. He was well liked. He was in the junior ROTC. And, I’m told by those that knew him that he had great dreams about what he could do in this country and what he could contribute to this country. 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 added.

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Bel began classes last week for the fall semester at Wright State University, and was a JROTC student and a varsity soccer player. In a statement on social media, Wright State said: Wright State University was saddened to learn that Pierre Damas Bel, a first-time student who began classes last week for the fall semester, died tragically on Monday, August 31. We are heartbroken by this devastating loss. Pierre was an active honors student who was passionate about soccer and was already actively engaged in his classes and the campus community.