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A CASUALTY OF A CRUEL IMMIGRATION POLICY  
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Naomi Bethune
September 3, 2026
The American Prospect
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_ Pierre Damas Bel, 20, died by suicide after being fitted with a
tracking device by ICE. ‘That ankle monitor is what killed him,’ a
family friend said. _

,

 

Wearing an ankle monitor is painful. They’re physically heavy and
often fitted tightly, restricting movement. They affect one’s
ability to sleep, and are incredibly sensitive; certain movements can
set them off. Since June, many Haitian Temporary Protected Status
(TPS) holders have received letters advising them to report to local
ICE offices, where they are fitted with ankle monitors. It’s
marketed as an alternative to detention, but does not lessen feelings
of shame or fear. 

On Monday morning, Pierre Damas Bel, a 20-year-old TPS recipient
living in Springfield, Ohio, walked into highway traffic and was
struck and killed by a truck. He had been fitted with an ankle monitor
in July, which his family cites as being the source of his depression
and subsequent suicide. Bel had just started taking courses at Wright
State University in Fairborn, about 15 miles away from Springfield,
after graduating high school with honors. He was an avid soccer player
and member of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC)
program.

 
Photo courtesy Family of Pierre Damas Bel / The American Prospect
 

After receiving an ankle monitor, Bel could no longer play soccer
without it beeping. He couldn’t be fitted for an ROTC uniform like
his peers. At school, he was bullied and called a criminal. According
to his father
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Bel took two trips back to the ICE offices in Cincinnati and Westville
to “plead to the officers to remove the bracelet.”

The _Prospect_ spoke to Guerline Jozef, the co-founder and executive
director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA), who has been supporting
the Bel family. As she waited for them to call her after viewing
Bel’s body in the morgue, Jozef said “that ankle monitor is what
killed him.”

Right after local police notified Bel’s family of his death, they
were told they needed to pay them to tow Bel’s car. Jozef wired them
the funds. “He died by suicide, but the system, the Trump
administration’s removing of TPS [temporary protected status], the
Supreme Court’s siding to push for the removal of TPS is what killed
him,” said Jozef.

Bel’s death has underscored the uncertainty, chaos, and violence
brought on by ICE’s violent detention campaign in Springfield, which
the Supreme Court enabled over two months ago. After some initial
hesitation by ICE, the city, which has a significant number of Haitian
immigrants, is now being systematically cleared out, with a fresh wave
of violent detentions becoming the new normal over the past few weeks.
Residents like Bel are collateral damage in this crackdown and
President Trump’s demands for what amounts to racial purity. 

When the Supreme Court ruled on _Mullin v. Doe_ in June, the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was given the go-ahead to end
Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, along with nationals from
other countries that held TPS designations, such as South Sudan and
Syria. Created under the Immigration Act of 1990, TPS was designed to
provide nationals from countries facing pronounced instability (such
as armed conflict or environmental disaster) with asylum in the U.S.
Recipients are allowed to obtain work authorization and live in the
country.

TPS does not provide individuals with a path toward citizenship or
permanent residency status like a green card. Every year, recipients
must re-register.

Although DHS under Trump has terminated TPS designations for over ten
countries so far, it doesn’t mean that they are safe to return to.
Haiti currently has a “Level 4” travel advisory, with the State
Department urging U.S. citizens to “not travel to Haiti for any
reason.” For years, armed gangs have controlled areas of the
country, particularly the capital of Port-au-Prince, using violence to
terrorize communities. Political instability, natural disasters, and
poverty have created a humanitarian crisis like no other. 

Jozef reflected on the story of a young woman who came to the U.S. and
received a TPS designation, which shows the impact of this reality.
“For the first time in her life, she felt safe,” Jozef said.
“She told me that before she got here, every day she woke up, she
was afraid to go out because she thinks that could be the day she
could be kidnapped. She shared with me that on that day, when TPS was
completely removed, was the first time in the U.S. those same feelings
came back to her.”

Around 15,000 Haitians live in Springfield, and have a mixture of
legal statuses. Since the 2024 election, the city has been at the
center of conversations about the nation’s immigration system, but
only now, with the ending of Haitian TPS, has ICE been allowed to
commence raids. Dozens have been detained, often with excessive force,
including two pastors who were active
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in local churches. Videos chronicled by bystanders have shown ICE
agents accosting people at gas stations, outside of grocery stores,
and after traffic stops. 

According to Lynn Tramonte, executive director of the Ohio Immigrant
Alliance (OIA), Springfield police have allowed ICE to use the public
safety building’s parking lot as their “home base.” Reporting
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from the _Springfield News-Sun_ and the _Dayton Daily News_ detailed
ICE vehicles entering and exiting, along with several reports of
agents aggressively detaining people across the city.

Mayor Rob Rue has stated that “the city does not direct or control
ICE enforcement activity.” Although the police do not have a 287(g)
agreement with ICE (which deputizes local police to act as federal
immigration agents), the chief of police issued a statement late last
month in response to officers being spotted near ICE, maintaining that
they do not work together. 

Tramonte emphasized local outcry that the Ohio and Springfield
governments have not done enough to protect Haitian community members.
“Springfield has been left completely on its own,” says Tramonte.
“The federal government has come and the city, county, state
government have just completely let them. They’ve given them the
keys to Springfield.”

It was not until recently that Rue called for Congress to reform
federal immigration law. 

In June, just before the Supreme Court ruled on _Mullin_, Senate Bill
4814, sponsored by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), was introduced that would
extend TPS for Haiti until 2029, allowing for recipients to stay in
the U.S. A version of this bill passed the Republican-led House
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in April after Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) forced it onto the floor.
Other legislation, such as the American Dream and Promise Act, would
create a path toward permanent residency and U.S. citizenship for TPS
holders. 

Research has shown that Haitian TPS holders contribute not just to the
U.S. economy
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but also to the communities in which they live. At city commission
meetings in Springfield, residents have spoken out against ICE
arrests, and have organized to receive “rapid response”
training. 

“I think the reminder from people’s reaction is that they
understand that their Haitian neighbors belong and that they’re
willing to stand up and to speak out,” says Nana Gyamfi, the
executive director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration.
“There just needs to be a lot more of that, not just for Haitians
specifically, but for Black immigrants more generally.”

_[__NAOMI BETHUNE_ [[link removed]]_ is
the John Lewis Writing Fellow at The American Prospect. During her
time studying philosophy and public policy at UMass Boston, she edited
the opinions section of The Mass Media. Prior to joining the Prospect,
she interned for Boston Review and Beacon Press. __MORE BY NAOMI
BETHUNE_ [[link removed]]_]_ 

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_Read the original article at __Prospect.org_
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_Used with the permission. © __The American Prospect_
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* Haitian immigrants
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* TPS
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* Haiti
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* DHS
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* ICE
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* Immigration
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* Law & Justice
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* Ohio
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* Springfield OH
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* Race & Ethnicity
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* Supreme Court
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* ankle monitors
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