ICE Ankle Monitor Linked to Suicide by Haitian Immigrant
The family of 20-year-old Pierre Damas Bel says bullying and shame from an ICE ankle monitor, installed July 29, led to his suicide on an Ohio interstate.
Pierre Damas Bel, a 20-year-old Haitian immigrant, died after entering traffic on Interstate 70 in Springfield, Ohio. His family says despair over an Immigration and Customs Enforcement ankle monitor led to his suicide.
Bel's father, Pierre Ronal Bel, said the device installed on July 29 caused his son to be bullied at school and humiliated in public. The Ohio State Highway Patrol reported that Bel parked on the highway's shoulder, exited his vehicle, and walked into westbound lanes. He died at the scene. While officials continue to investigate, his family directly links the death to the psychological pressure of wearing the monitor.
In an Instagram post, Bel wrote about the shame. "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 said. His father stated the monitor changed his son's self-perception. "After my son was outfitted with the ankle monitor, he felt like he was treated like an animal."
Monitor Followed End of Temporary Protected Status
Bel arrived in the U.S. In 2024 and lived in Springfield. ICE placed him in an alternatives to detention program as his immigration case continued. This timing coincided with the end of Haiti's Temporary Protected Status in late July, a policy shift affecting over 300,000 Haitians after a Supreme Court ruling in June.
The loss of protection disqualified Bel from college soccer and Junior ROTC activities, according to his family. He had just graduated high school, where he played varsity soccer and held a lieutenant rank in Marine Corps Junior ROTC, and planned to attend Wright State University. His father said classmates taunted him over the visible monitor, and he was excluded from uniform distributions for JROTC.
Bel made two trips to immigration offices in Cincinnati and Westerville to plead for the device's removal. "He took two trips to Cincinnati and Westerville to plead with the officers to remove the bracelet, since he's a soccer player, and he felt embarrassed and humiliated," his father said.
Final Distress Call Preceded Highway Death
On the morning of his death, Bel called his father from his car on I-70. "Dad, I'm not feeling OK. I'm not thinking right," he said. His father urged him to come home. Shortly after, around 11 a.m., police arrived at the father's home to report that Bel had thrown himself under a truck. The Ohio State Highway Patrol's investigation into the incident remains open.
ICE Denies Responsibility for the Tragedy
ICE confirmed Bel received the monitor on July 29 but rejected the family's attribution of blame. "ICE does not comment on the cause of death while that investigation is pending, and we will not speculate about unverified claims regarding other individuals," the agency stated. ICE also argued that wearing a monitor is not mandatory for those in the country illegally. "No one is required to stay in the United States illegally and wear a GPS monitor," the agency said, pointing to self-deportation options via the CBP Home app which include a government flight and a $3,000 check.
Advocates in Ohio Demand Policy Change
Local advocates have seized on the case to call for an end to electronic monitoring. Pastor Carl Ruby of Central Christian Church, also speaking for Springfield G92, described Bel as a "beautiful young man, smart, kind." He called the monitoring a shackling program. "It was immigration policy that took his life," Ruby said. "The shackling program has to end and that is just the start of moving towards a more just immigration policy."
Guerline Jozef, co-founder of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, connected the death to broader policy. "This is one of the most feared and tragic outcomes of the Trump administration's cruel and inhumane attacks on the Haitian community," she said, arguing officials who ended protected status should bear responsibility. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine called the death a "horrible tragedy."
Memorials, vigils, and prayer walks are planned in Springfield, Columbus, and Dayton by the Haitian Support Network and other advocates.
