Prominent Springfield pastor claims a Haitian teen has committed suicide after losing TPS, receiving ankle monitor

Pastor at Springfield's Central Christian Church Carl Ruby shared the news of Bel's passing on Facebook, saying that he was with the family shortly after their son died at his own hand.

"I'm sitting with a family right now whose son threw himself in front of a semi truck today after being teased by fellow students at Wright State about his ankle monitor. I wish President Trump could hear the mom's wails. 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 Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, many of whom have settled in Ohio. Haitians were then fitted with ankle monitors ahead of consideration for deportation following the expiry of the TPS order that had been in place since a 2010 earthquake in the island nation.

Bel played football for Wright State University and posted that he was having difficulty at practice because of the bulky ankle monitor.

Pierre Damas Bel sits by the side of the field showing his ankle monitor.

"I came to this country to pursue my education," he wrote on Instagram. "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.

"I came here to study, to build my future, and to live a better [lif]e not to be treated like a criminal. So now, how am I supposed to play college sports with a GPS monitor on my leg?"

Pierre Damas Bel, Instagram

He shared photos of himself graduating from Springfield High School in May, with the caption "From Haiti to the graduation stage. Hard work, faith, and perseverance brought me here. Class of 2026. Now it's time for a new chapter... Freshman again at Wright State U."

Bel posted that he was planning to study neuroscience.

When he was fitted with the monitor, he asked if he could record so he could show people he was not a criminal. He was told he was not permitted to record.

Bel worked at Texas Roadhouse and received letters of support from his managers after he was fitted with the ankle monitor. He also received letters of support from teachers at Springfield High School as well as from the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps and had been in JROTC for two years.

His captain called him "a natural leader who served as a model for others to emulate, he was able to effectively communicate and foster synergy across cultural lines. He served as Class Commander, which placed him responsible for the technical development of 35 cadets and directly accountable to JROTC Instructor Cadre."

The Trump administration under Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ended Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the US. This includes people from Haiti, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Myanmar, Yemen, Syria, Honduras, El Salvador, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.