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Haitian student dies by suicide after ICE mandates GPS ankle monitor

Aug 31, 2026·Location: Springfield, OH

Country of origin: Haiti

Haitian student dies by suicide after ICE mandates GPS ankle monitor

Pierre Damas Bel, a 20-year-old Haitian student at Wright State University and former Wittenberg University soccer recruit, died by suicide after stepping into traffic on Interstate 70 near Springfield, Ohio. Bel had arrived in the U.S. in 2024 through the CBP One app and lost his temporary protected status in July following a Supreme Court decision, after which ICE placed him on an ankle monitor as part of an 'alternatives to detention' program. He wrote on social media that the GPS monitor caused him "shame and humiliation," and his family said he faced bullying at school after losing his spot on the Wittenberg soccer team and transferring schools. Bel had been an honor roll student, JROTC member, and local scholarship recipient who hoped to attend medical school.

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