SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (Le Floridien) — The family of a 20-year-old Haitian immigrant who was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 70 says the young man had become deeply distressed after immigration authorities placed an electronic ankle monitor on him, leaving him feeling humiliated and exposed to bullying from classmates.
Pierre Damas Bel, of Springfield, died Monday morning, August 31, after exiting a vehicle parked on the shoulder of westbound Interstate 70 and entering the traffic lanes near State Route 54, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
He was struck by a tractor-trailer and pronounced dead at the scene. Ohio authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
Bel’s family believes he died by suicide and says the tragedy followed weeks of emotional distress connected to his immigration situation and the ankle monitor placed on him by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
A Young Haitian Pursuing the American Dream
Bel came to the United States in 2024 to reunite with his parents, who had left Haiti several years earlier. The family settled in Springfield, home to a sizable Haitian immigrant community.
He quickly distinguished himself academically. Bel graduated from high school with honors in May and participated in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, or JROTC. Earlier this year, the Springfield City School District listed him among students who received scholarships through its Business Advisory Council Award of Excellence program.
His dream, according to his family, was to study medicine.
But his situation changed after the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. Although Bel had a pending asylum case, he was summoned to an immigration appointment and fitted with an electronic ankle monitor.
His father, Pierres Ronal Bel, told The Washington Post that his son felt degraded by the experience.
“He felt like he was treated like an animal,” his father said.
Bel himself had publicly expressed his distress.
In an Instagram post in late July, he explained that he had come to the United States to pursue an education, not to commit crimes, and described the shame and humiliation he felt walking around with a GPS monitor attached to his leg.
According to his father, the device also interfered with Bel’s ability to play soccer, an activity he had enjoyed for years.
Even more painful, his father said, were cruel comments and bullying from classmates over the ankle monitor.
Family Says Humiliation Took an Emotional Toll
The situation reportedly became even more difficult shortly before Bel’s death.
His father told The Washington Post that when JROTC uniforms were distributed on Friday, Bel did not receive one. The young man apparently believed the ankle monitor was the reason.
“He came home that day feeling very bad,” his father said.
On Monday morning, Bel left the family home and called his father by video shortly after 8 a.m.
According to his father, the young man told him, “I’m not feeling okay.”
His father encouraged him to come home so they could talk.
Later that morning, police arrived at the family’s home with the devastating news that Pierre had been killed on Interstate 70.
His next asylum court hearing had reportedly been scheduled for October. According to Vilés Dorsainvil, executive director of the Haitian Support Center in Springfield, Bel feared returning to Haiti because of the country’s widespread gang violence.
Growing Anxiety Among Haitians in Springfield
Bel’s death comes amid growing fear within Springfield’s Haitian community following increased immigration enforcement.
Hundreds of Haitians in the area have reportedly been summoned to ICE offices in recent weeks, and the Haitian Support Center estimates that more than 100 have been fitted with electronic ankle monitors.
The issue has already drawn national attention. Haitian immigrants interviewed in recent weeks have described the devices as humiliating and emotionally distressing, particularly for people who say they have no criminal record and have complied with immigration requirements.
Bel’s death has now intensified concerns about the psychological toll immigration uncertainty can have on individuals and families.
However, an important distinction remains: authorities have not officially determined that the ankle monitor, bullying or immigration enforcement caused Bel’s death. The Ohio State Highway Patrol continues to investigate the incident, while the belief that he died by suicide and the account of his emotional distress come from his family and community members.
For his grieving family, however, the weeks preceding his death cannot be separated from what happened Monday morning.
Bel was only 20 years old — an honors graduate, scholarship recipient and aspiring medical student who had come to the United States hoping to build a future.
Instead, his death has left a Haitian family mourning and a community asking difficult questions about the human consequences of immigration enforcement.
Sources: The Washington Post, WHIO-TV, Springfield City School District and previous national reporting on ICE electronic monitoring of Haitian immigrants in Ohio.
