Haitian-born student in Ohio appears to take his own life after losing immigration status

A Haitian-born student in Ohio reportedly took his own life following the loss of his immigration status as part of the Trump administration’s termination of temporary protected status for immigrants around the country.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol stated in a Monday press release that 20-year-old Pierre Damas Bel died Monday when he walked into oncoming traffic after he parked his vehicle on the right shoulder of Interstate 70.

“Bel succumbed to fatal injuries at the scene,” Ohio State Highway Patrol stated.

The agency reported this was an open investigation and declined to give additional details.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said Tuesday that Bel’s death is a “horrible, horrible tragedy.”

“I think we have to ask ourselves: Is this really good? Is it what we want done to people like this being picked up and facing deportation? Do we want that being done in our name,” he added.

Bel was reportedly “distraught” after weeks wearing an ankle monitor, according to remarks his father made to The Haitian Times . He was one of the many Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, who were ordered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to begin wearing ankle monitors.

“In his last days, I did not recognize him as he was such an energetic kid who loves life, friends and family, and education,” Bel’s father, Pierre Ronal Bel, said in Haitian Creole.

A month before his death, Bel wrote on social media about his experience wearing the ankle monitor, saying, “I came to this country to pursue my education. 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,” he wrote. “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?”

ICE declined to comment on Bel’s cause of death and said it “will not speculate about unverified claims regarding other individuals,” according to a statement obtained by NBC affiliate WBTN .

The 20-year-old was previously covered under temporary protected status, a U.S. program that protects people from deportation. It covers foreign nationals who cannot safely return to their home country and offers them a pathway to work authorization.

The Supreme Court ruled in June that the Trump administration could end the protection for the around 330,000 Haitians and more than 6,000 Syrians covered by the program.

This comes as the U.S. still has a ban on flights in and out of Haiti’s main airport due to ongoing gang violence. The State Department also still lists Haiti as a “ Level 4: Do Not Travel ” country on its travel advisory website — citing terrorism, unrest and limited healthcare services in the nation.