Haitian student from Ohio apparently ended his life over his humiliation for ankle monitor.
20-year-old Pierre Damas Bel in Ohio got out of his car and stepped into the traffic on Ohio State Highway after a brief conversation with his father. The Haitian family came to the US legally in 2024 under the Temporary Protected Status which has now been removed, with thousands of Haitians navigating the same misery. 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 in a July 30 Instagram post.
Because he was being bullied, as he had an ankle monitor issued by ICE in July, the freshman student at Wright State University told his father that he was not OK.
Wright State University issued a statement in which they said: “The safety and well-being of our students is the highest priority, and we remain dedicated to providing a campus community where every student feels safe, supported, included and welcomed”. In recent social media posts, Bel described his frustration with the ankle monitor. “I came to this country to pursue my education. I didn’t come here to commit a crime or hurt anyone. “I came here to study, to build my future, and to live a better (life) not to be treated like criminal. So now, how am I supposed play college sports with a GPS monitor on my leg?”