A 20-year-old Haitian-born college student in Ohio, Pierre Damas Bel, has died by suicide after losing his temporary protected status (TPS) amid the Trump administration’s decision to terminate Haiti’s TPS designation.
Bel died on Monday after he reportedly walked into oncoming traffic on Interstate 70 in Ohio, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The patrol said Bel parked his vehicle on the right shoulder of the interstate before entering the roadway. He sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine described Bel’s death as a “horrible, horrible tragedy” and said the young man had graduated from high school in Ohio, participated in Junior ROTC and had ambitious plans for his future.
“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,” DeWine said.
The governor also questioned the impact of immigration enforcement policies on people such as Bel.
“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 asked.
Bel’s father, Pierre Ronal Bel, said his son had become increasingly distressed after being required to wear an ankle monitor for several weeks.
Bel was among Haitian immigrants in the Springfield, Ohio, area who were required by the Department of Homeland Security to wear ankle monitors following the administration’s move to end Haiti’s TPS protections. The policy potentially exposed hundreds of thousands of Haitian nationals to deportation.
“In his last days, I did not recognize him as he was such an energetic kid who loves life, friends and family, and education,” his father said in a statement read by Springfield pastor Carl Ruby.
According to reports, Bel had previously spoken publicly about the emotional impact of wearing the GPS-enabled 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.
Bel said the monitoring device left him feeling “shame and humiliation” and expressed concern about how it would affect his college education and participation in sports.
His father told The Washington Post that Bel left home shortly before 8 a.m. on Monday and called him shortly afterwards, saying he was not feeling mentally well.
The father said he asked his son to return home so they could talk, but he later received a visit from police informing him that Bel had died.
Pastor Carl Ruby said the family believes Bel’s death was linked to the immigration policies affecting Haitian TPS holders.
Ruby said Bel had also been teased by fellow students over the ankle monitor, although the circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation by authorities.
The U.S. Supreme Court had earlier cleared the way for the Trump administration to end Haiti’s TPS designation, a move that could leave roughly 350,000 Haitian nationals vulnerable to removal from the United States.
Bel’s death has renewed debate over the human impact of immigration enforcement policies and the psychological toll on migrants facing the possibility of deportation.
