Ohio College Student Dies After Losing Protected Status Under Federal Immigration Review

Clear Facts

• Pierre Damas Bel, 20, a Haitian-born college student in Ohio, died Monday after walking into oncoming traffic on Interstate 70
• Bel had recently lost Temporary Protected Status protections following the Supreme Court’s decision allowing termination of Haiti’s TPS designation
• The student was wearing a court-ordered ankle monitor and had been unable to participate in college athletics due to the device

A 20-year-old college student in Ohio died Monday in what authorities are investigating as a traffic incident on Interstate 70, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Pierre Damas Bel, a Haitian-born student who had recently lost his Temporary Protected Status, was struck by a vehicle after exiting his car on the highway’s right shoulder.

“Bel succumbed to fatal injuries at the scene,” Ohio State Highway Patrol said in a statement. The incident remains under investigation.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine addressed the tragedy during a Tuesday press conference, calling it a “horrible, horrible tragedy.”

“He graduated from high school here,” DeWine said. “He was well liked. He was in the junior ROTC. And, I’m told by those that knew him that he had great dreams about what he could do in this country and what he could contribute to this country.”

The young man had been among Haitian immigrants in the Springfield, Ohio area required by the Department of Homeland Security to wear ankle monitors following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to allow termination of Haiti’s TPS designation. The ruling potentially affects approximately 350,000 Haitian nationals currently in the United States.

Bel’s father, Pierre Ronal Bel, described his son’s final days as deeply troubling. According to a statement read by Pastor Carl Ruby, the elder Bel said his son had become unrecognizable from the energetic young man he had known.

“In his last days, I did not recognize him as he was such an energetic kid who loves life, friends and family, and education,” the father’s statement said.

On Monday morning, Bel left home before 8 a.m. and called his father shortly afterward to express mental distress. His father urged him to return home for a conversation, but police arrived at the family’s residence later that morning to inform him of his son’s death.

One month before the incident, Bel had publicly shared his experience with the monitoring requirement on social media, expressing frustration with the restrictions it placed on his college aspirations.

“I came to this country to pursue my education. I didn’t come here to commit a crime or hurt anyone,” he wrote.

“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 [life,] not to be treated like a criminal. So now, how am I supposed to play college sports with a GPS monitor on my leg?”

The ankle monitor had prevented Bel from participating in college soccer at Wittenberg University, though he was preparing to begin his first semester at Wright State University. According to his father’s account, Bel made multiple trips to immigration offices in Cincinnati and Westerville attempting to have the device removed.

“Last Friday, August 28, 2026, he told me, ‘Dad I felt humiliated. Since they gave uniforms to all my classmates at JROTC their uniform, but except me because of the bracelet,'” his father wrote on social media.

Springfield is home to approximately 15,000 Haitian immigrants, many of whom have lived in the United States for years while their home country has faced ongoing violence, political turmoil, and extreme poverty. The TPS program was designed to provide temporary refuge for nationals from countries experiencing such conditions.

In a statement to local media, ICE said it “does not comment on the cause of death while that investigation is pending, and we will not speculate about unverified claims regarding other individuals.”

Wright State University President Sue Edwards released a statement expressing the institution’s grief over the loss.

“Pierre was an active honors student who was passionate about soccer and was already actively engaged in his classes and the campus community. The University mourns the death of Pierre and extends our deepest condolences to his family, friends and loved ones during this unimaginably difficult time,” Edwards said.

Bel had graduated from high school in May and was preparing to pursue higher education while maintaining his involvement in the Junior ROTC program. Those who knew him described him as a dedicated student with strong aspirations for contributing to American society.

The case raises important questions about immigration enforcement procedures, mental health support for individuals undergoing status reviews, and the balance between security measures and humanitarian considerations. As federal authorities continue their investigation, the community mourns the loss of a young man who sought to build his future through education and service.

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