An Ohio college student died in an apparent suicide. His family says he felt ‘humiliated’ by his ICE ankle monitor
An Ohio College Student Died After ICE Monitor
Healfromzero.com – An Ohio college student died on Monday after stepping into westbound traffic on Interstate 70 near Dayton, Ohio, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Pierre Damas Bel, a 20-year-old freshman at Wright State University, had been wearing a GPS ankle monitor issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. His family says the device humiliated him socially and contributed to his apparent suicide.
Bel, a Haitian immigrant who spent his teenage years in Springfield, Ohio, was described by those closest to him as a driven young man with clear ambitions. He played soccer at his high school, participated in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program, and enrolled at Wright State intending to pursue a degree in neuroscience. Friends recall a student eager to engage with coursework and campus life, someone who spoke about the future with optimism.
The Final Hours
On the morning of his death, Bel reached out to his father, Pierre Ronal Bel, via video call. His voice carried visible distress.
“He said, ‘Dad, I’m not feeling ok. I’m not thinking right … because of the bullies,’ and I told him, ‘Come home so that we can talk,'” Pierre Ronal Bel said in a statement.
Minutes later, patrol records indicate the young man exited his Toyota Avalon onto the I-70 shoulder and walked into the westbound lanes. The agency confirmed its investigation into the circumstances remains open. Family members were subsequently told he had taken his own life.
“Police showed up at my door,” his father said, “to report that my son had thrown himself under a truck.”
How the Monitor Reached His Life
Bel had entered the United States at Brownsville, Texas, in March 2024 under the Biden administration. ICE placed the ankle monitor on him July 29, 2025, while his immigration proceedings continued. The GPS-tracking bracelet is one of several “alternatives to detention” tools the agency employs for individuals released pending case resolution.
For Bel, the device became a constant source of shame and restriction. His family says it kept him from soccer practice, blocked him from receiving a new ROTC uniform, and drew ridicule from classmates who noticed the hardware. On the Friday before his death, he told his father that something in his ROTC class had devastated him.
“He told me, ‘Dad, I felt humiliated … Everyone got uniforms, except for me, because of the bracelet,'” Pierre Ronal Bel recounted.
A Wider Policy Context
Bel’s case has drawn attention because he belongs to an expanding cohort of Haitian nationals in Ohio now wearing ankle monitors. The Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for Haitians — a designation that had permitted hundreds of thousands of people across the country to work legally and shielded them from deportation. With TPS revoked, many former beneficiaries faced new enforcement mechanisms, including electronic monitoring, arrests, and job losses.
TPS, established under the Immigration and Nationality Act, grants nationals of countries facing temporary crises — natural disasters, armed conflict, or economic collapse — a limited period of legal presence in the United States. Haiti’s designation, in place since 2010 and renewed periodically, had provided a legal pathway for workers, students, and families. Its termination left many in legal limbo, subject to removal proceedings and, in some cases, conditions of supervision that include ankle monitors.
Community and Institutional Response
At a Tuesday news conference in Springfield, Pastor Carl Ruby of the Central Christian Church framed the death as a direct consequence of federal policy.
“Pierre died as a result of policy. And it’s our immigration policy that took his life,” Ruby said, urging Republican lawmakers to “put an end to the shackling program before other people end up taking their lives.”
Immigrant rights advocates have pressed federal officials to halt the use of ankle monitors on individuals not charged with crimes, arguing the devices function as a form of public shaming that compounds the stress of uncertain immigration status, particularly for young people in academic or social settings. ICE, for its part, declined to comment on the cause of death while the highway patrol investigation remains open.
FAQ
What happened to Pierre Damas Bel? An Ohio college student died after walking into westbound traffic on I-70 near Dayton. His family attributes the apparent suicide to the psychological impact of an ICE ankle monitor that isolated him socially.
What is an ICE ankle monitor? It is a GPS-tracking bracelet worn on the ankle, used as an “alternative to detention” for individuals released while their immigration cases remain pending.
Why were Haitian nationals in Ohio affected? The Trump administration revoked Temporary Protected Status for Haiti, leaving former beneficiaries subject to removal proceedings and electronic-monitoring conditions.
What was Bel studying at Wright State? He was a freshman enrolled at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, intending to pursue a degree in neuroscience.
