Family blames suicide of 20-year-old Haitian immigrant on ICE crackdown

September 2, 2026 / 3:41 PM EDT / CBS News

Twenty-year-old Haitian native Pierre Damas Bel was an outstanding student and soccer player in Springfield, Ohio, according to his family and local advocates. He had also been part of his high school's junior ROTC program.

On Monday, Bel died by suicide, his family says, a death his father said was driven, at least in part, by feelings of despair and humiliation after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) fitted him with an ankle monitor earlier this summer.

"After my son was outfitted with an ankle monitor, he felt like he was treated like an animal," Bel's father said in a statement.

Bel's father said his son asked ICE to remove the ankle monitor because he felt "embarrassed" and "humiliated" wearing it in front of his classmates in college.

The Ohio Highway Patrol said Bel parked his car on the right shoulder of a highway outside of Springfield and walked into oncoming traffic. He was struck by a tractor-trailer.

"Bel succumbed to fatal injuries at the scene," the Ohio Highway Patrol said in a statement, noting the death remains under investigation.

In a statement to CBS News, ICE said it fitted Bel…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/