A Haitian immigrant studying at Wright State University has died in what appears to be a suicide, soon after being required to wear an ankle monitor.
Pierre Damas Bel is reported to have died Monday morning after parking his car and intentionally going in front of a semi-truck on Interstate 70 in Clark County. Ohio State Highway Patrol is still investigating the case.
Pierre Ronal Bel, Pierre’s father, said in a statement released through advocacy group G92, that his son called him shortly before his death.
"He called me at 8:03 on a video call and said, 'I’m not feeling OK mentally because of the bullying,' and I told him to come home so we can talk," Ronal Bel said. “Around 11 the police showed (up) at my door to report that my son threw himself under a truck.”
Many Haitian immigrants in the Springfield area and beyond have been required by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to wear ankle monitors after the expiration of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti.
Anyone considering suicide or in crisis can text or call 988 to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Press 2 to speak to a counselor in Spanish.
TPS is the legal pathway that thousands of immigrants came to the Springfield area before the Supreme Court in June paved the way for the Trump administration to end it.
Springfield Pastor Carl Ruby said in a statement that he had been sitting with the family after the son had been teased by fellow students at Wright State about his ankle monitor.
"I wish President Trump could hear the mom’s wails," Ruby said. "The family wants people to know that this was a suicide and they want people to know that President Trump, Stephen Miller, and Markwayne Mullin’s inhumane immigration policies made this happen."
The 20-year-old student graduated from Springfield High School in May, where he was a JROTC member and played soccer. He started classes at Wright State in August, where he said on his Instagram account he was studying neuroscience.
Pierre Damas Bel posted on July 30 on Instagram that he came to this country to pursue his education.
"I didn’t come here 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.
Sue Edwards, president of Wright State, said the university is "heartbroken by this devastating loss. Pierre was 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."
Counseling and support services have been made available to students, faculty and staff. The university said in a statement that its dedicated to providing a safe and welcoming campus.
Experts say suicide is not typically driven by one event or circumstance, but from layers of factors. Yet, research has been showing how the Trump administration's immigration crackdown has been creating toxic stress on those affected.
In March, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine made the case that the current immigration actions have become a toxic stress for children that's likely to leave a lasting impact on their developmental, physical and mental health.
Guerline Jozef of the Haitian Bridge Alliance said in a statement that Pierre Damas Bel's death is tragic.
“This is one of the most tragic outcomes of the Trump administration’s cruel and inhumane attacks on the Haitian community," Jozef said.
This story will be updated.
