Family blames suicide of 20-year-old Haitian immigrant on ICE crackdown
Twenty-year-old Haitian native Pierre Damas Bel was an outstanding student and soccer player in Springfield, Ohio, according to his family and local advocates. He had also been part of his high school's junior ROTC program.
On Monday, Bel died by suicide, his family says, a death his father said was driven, at least in part, by feelings of despair and humiliation after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) fitted him with an ankle monitor earlier this summer.
"After my son was outfitted with an ankle monitor, he felt like he was treated like an animal," Bel's father said in a statement.
Bel's father said his son asked ICE to remove the ankle monitor because he felt "embarrassed" and "humiliated" wearing it in front of his classmates in college.
The Ohio Highway Patrol said Bel parked his car on the right shoulder of a highway outside of Springfield and walked into oncoming traffic. He was struck by a tractor-trailer.
"Bel succumbed to fatal injuries at the scene," the Ohio Highway Patrol said in a statement, noting the death remains under investigation.
In a statement to CBS News, ICE said it fitted Bel with an ankle monitor on July 29 "while he continued in his immigration proceedings."
ICE also confirmed Bel entered the U.S. with the government's permission in 2024 under a now-defunct Biden-era program that allowed migrants waiting in Mexico to request a time to enter the country through a smartphone app known as CBP One.
The agency rejected "any attempt to blame ICE for the death."
"No one is required to stay in the United States illegally and wear a GPS monitor," ICE added in its statement. "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."
Bel wrote in a recent Instagram post that he had not come to the U.S. "to commit a crime or hurt anyone."
"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 wrote in that post.
ICE started placing ankle monitors on Haitian immigrants like Bel after the federal government terminated their deportation protections under the Temporary Protected Status program. Following a Supreme Court ruling, more than 300,000 Haitians lost their TPS protections in late July, becoming eligible for arrest and potential deportation overnight.
Bel had been a recipient of TPS, according to a Haitian American activist who is in touch with the family.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.
For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@nami.org.
