Haitian College Student Dies by Apparent Suicide After Losing Protected Status, Family Claims

A Haitian-born college student in Ohio passed away on Monday in what his family believes was a suicide. The family attributes his death to the emotional distress caused by the loss of his temporary protected status (TPS) and the subsequent requirement to wear an ankle monitor, following the previous administration's decision to end Haiti’s TPS designation.

Pierre Damas Bel, 20, died on Monday after parking his vehicle on the right shoulder of Interstate 70 and walking into oncoming traffic, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The patrol confirmed that Bel suffered fatal injuries at the scene and stated that the incident remains under investigation.

Ohio Governor Expresses Concern Over Immigration Policy

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, commented on Tuesday, calling Bel's death 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."

The governor further questioned the implications of such immigration policies:

"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?"

Bel's father conveyed to a Haitian news outlet that his son had been "distraught" during the weeks he was required to wear an ankle monitor. Bel was among several Haitian immigrants in the Springfield, Ohio, area who were mandated by the Department of Homeland Security to wear these devices after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the administration to terminate Haiti’s TPS designation. This decision potentially exposed approximately 350,000 Haitian nationals to removal from the country.

Pierre Ronal Bel, the student’s father, shared in a statement read by Pastor Carl Ruby, that in his son's final days, he was unrecognizable. "In his last days, I did not recognize him as he was such an energetic kid who loves life, friends and family, and education," the father stated.

Local reports also quoted Bel’s father saying his son felt "treated like an animal" after receiving the ankle monitor.

A Father's Plea and Student's Distress

Bel's father recounted to a national newspaper that his son left home before 8 a.m. on Monday and called shortly thereafter, expressing that he was not feeling mentally well. "I told him, 'Come home so that we can talk?' I had my youngest to take to school. I took him to school," the father said. Tragically, police arrived at his home later that morning to inform him of his son's death.

A month prior to his passing, Bel had publicly shared his feelings about wearing the ankle monitor on social media.

"I came to this country to pursue my education. I didn't come here to commit a crime or hurt anyone," he wrote. "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. 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?"

Pastor Carl Ruby of Springfield stated on Monday that Bel’s family firmly believes he took his own life as a direct consequence of the previous administration's immigration policies that targeted TPS recipients.

"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 posted on social media. "I wish President Trump could hear the mom's wails. The family wants people to know that this was a suicide and they want people to know that President Trump, [White House deputy chief of staff] Stephen Miller, and [Homeland Security Secretary] Markwayne Mullin’s inhumane immigration policies made this happen."

Many of the approximately 15,000 Haitian immigrants residing in Springfield have lived in the U.S. for numerous years, unable to return to their home country due to persistent violence, political turmoil, and extreme poverty.

In a statement to a local news outlet, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stated that it "does not comment on the cause of death while that investigation is pending, and we will not speculate about unverified claims regarding other individuals."

Academic Aspirations and University Response

Bel had graduated from high school in May and was preparing to begin his first semester at Wright State University. He had been unable to play college soccer at Wittenberg University because of the ankle monitor, as noted in a social media post by the Wittenberg men’s soccer team.

Bel’s father further elaborated in a social media post that his son had made two trips to Cincinnati and Westerville to plead with officers to remove the bracelet, as he was a soccer player and felt embarrassed and humiliated among his university classmates. "Last Friday, August 28, 2026, he told me, 'Dad I felt humiliated. Since they gave uniforms to all my classmates at JROTC their uniform, but except me because of the bracelet,'" the father wrote.

Wright State University President Sue Edwards expressed the institution's profound sorrow, stating the school is "heartbroken by this devastating loss."

"Pierre was an an active honors student who was passionate about soccer and was already actively engaged in his classes and the campus community. The University mourns the death of Pierre and extends our deepest condolences to his family, friends and loved ones during this unimaginably difficult time," Edwards said in a statement.