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
Earthguardiansonline.com – An Ohio college student died in what his family describes as a suicide connected to the electronic ankle monitor that federal immigration agents strapped to his leg. Pierre Damas Bel, a 20-year-old Haitian immigrant who had just enrolled as a freshman at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, walked into westbound traffic on Interstate 70 on September 1. His father, Pierre Ronal Bel, says the visible device humiliated his son in front of classmates and pushed him into a depression from which he never recovered.
Before arriving on campus, Bel had been a standout soccer player at his Springfield, Ohio, high school and an active participant in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, a military-sponsored leadership program. He had planned to study neuroscience at Wright State. Friends and relatives remember a young man energized by the start of college life, unaware that a metal bracelet around his ankle would upend every routine he had built.
How the Monitor Unfolded
While his immigration case remained pending, Immigration and Customs Enforcement fitted Bel with an ankle monitor on July 29. Within weeks, the device became the central obstacle of his freshman experience. It barred him from soccer practice, blocked him from receiving a new ROTC uniform, and drew mocking remarks from peers who noticed the band strapped to his leg.
His father recounted that the cumulative effect sent his son spiraling into depression. On a Friday before his death, Bel told his father that something in his ROTC class had broken him.
“He told me, ‘Dad, I felt humiliated … Everyone got uniforms, except for me, because of the bracelet,'” Pierre Ronal Bel said.
The Final Call and What Followed
On the morning of Monday, September 1, Bel placed a video call to his father. His voice carried a weight of distress that made the conversation unmistakable.
“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,'” his father recalled in a statement.
Shortly after that call, Ohio State Highway Patrol says Bel 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. His family was 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.”
A Wider Pattern of Electronic Surveillance
The case of the Ohio college student who died after enduring the monitor is not isolated. Following the Trump administration’s termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, a rising number of nationals from the Caribbean island have been fitted with ankle monitors while removal proceedings advance. TPS had granted hundreds of thousands of people legal work authorization and protection from deportation; its expiration left many in a precarious legal position, and ICE has increasingly turned to electronic tracking as an alternative to full detention.
Immigrant-rights advocates and local clergy have seized on the death as evidence that the monitors carry psychological costs far beyond the inconvenience of a metal band. They argue the visible device marks its wearer as a target for ridicule and social exclusion, particularly in settings like a college campus where peers are expected to blend in.
ICE Responds
In a written statement, an ICE spokesperson noted that Bel had applied for admission into the United States at Brownsville, Texas, in March 2024 and was released into the country under the Biden administration. The agency issued the monitor on July 29 while his case continued.
Asked about reports that the student died by suicide after enduring bullying over the device, the spokesperson said the highway patrol’s investigation was still underway and that ICE would not comment on cause of death while that process remained active.
“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 spokesperson said.
The statement also reiterated the administration’s broader position that undocumented immigrants should voluntarily depart the country.
“Remaining in the country illegally, while fighting removal, is a choice. Leaving with a free flight home and $2,600 is also a choice,” the spokesperson added.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to the Ohio college student who died on I-70?
Pierre Damas Bel, a 20-year-old Haitian freshman at Wright State University, walked into westbound traffic on Interstate 70 near Dayton, Ohio, on September 1. Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed the investigation is open, and his family has been told he took his own life. His father attributes the suicide to humiliation caused by an ICE-issued ankle monitor.
Why did ICE place an ankle monitor on a college student?
Bel’s immigration case was still pending when ICE fitted the device on July 29. The agency uses electronic monitoring as an alternative to full detention while removal proceedings advance, particularly after the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians left many in a precarious legal position.
What is the family’s position on the monitor’s role?
Pierre Ronal Bel says the visible bracelet prevented his son from joining soccer practice, receiving a ROTC uniform, and blending in with classmates. He describes a young man who spiraled into depression after repeated taunts and told his father he felt “humiliated” because everyone else got uniforms except him.
Has ICE commented on the cause of death?
ICE stated it would not comment on cause of death while the Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation remains active. The agency also reiterated its position that undocumented immigrants should voluntarily depart the country, citing a free flight home and $2,600 as available options.
