Haitian who just graduated high school takes his own life after losing TPS status, advocacy group says

A 20-year-old Haitian who had just graduated high school and had recently lost temporary protected status died by suicide Monday, according to an advocacy group representing his family.

Pierre Damas Bel, who arrived in the U.S. in 2024 to reunite with his parents who had fled Haiti, got out of his vehicle on an interstate in Springfield, Ohio, and walked into traffic, law enforcement officials told local news outlets.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol told ABC News it is investigating Bel's death. In a statement, the agency confirmed that Bel parked on Interstate 70, exited his Toyota and entered the westbound lanes of the highway.

Bel was one of the more than 350,000 Haitian immigrants who lost TPS status after the Supreme Court in June cleared the way for the Trump administration to end the program, which provides work authorization and protection from deportation to migrants fleeing countries that are deemed unsafe due to armed conflicts or natural disasters.

He had recently been fitted with a GPS ankle monitor by the Department of Homeland Security as part of the department's effort to track former TPS holders, according to posts on his social media account.

"I came to this country to pursue my education, I didn't come here to commit a crime or hurt anyone," Bel posted in July. "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."

Guerline Jozef, the executive director of Haitian Bridge Alliance, a nonprofit organization that provides aid to Haitian immigrants, told ABC News that Bel was afraid of being deported to Haiti. The group said it was supporting the family before Bel's death. 

"This is our worst fear and nightmare come true," said Jozef, who told ABC News Bel was depressed after losing his TPS status.

"He called his father that morning and said knowing he could be deported was 'unbearable' and that he had been struggling since being given an ankle monitor," Jozef said. "The father said, 'I'm sorry, my son. Let's talk about it when you get back from school.' And unfortunately, this happened shortly after that call."

"Our government, our system, our Supreme Court -- they're all complicit in the death of this young man," Jozef said.

In a statement to ABC News, a DHS spokesperson confirmed the death of Bel and said the agency will "not comment on the cause of death while that investigation is pending, and we will not speculate about unverified claims regarding other individuals."

Bel was a member of the varsity soccer team at Springfield High School, received a rank of lieutenant for the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, and had plans to attend Wright State University in Ohio this fall, according to letters posted on Bel's Instagram account that had been written this month by his high school teachers, JROTC military leader, and employers at Texas Roadhouse to a judge who was overseeing his immigration case as Bel sought U.S. citizenship.

"Mr. Bel has made strides and garnered achievements in a relatively short amount of time despite having to navigate an unfamiliar environment," wrote his senior Marine instructor for the JROTC. "Mr. Bel exhibits the type of individual character that makes our society great. He has my highest endorsement and utmost character that he will make us proud and be value added to our nation."

The Trump administration has sent two deportation flights to Haiti since it ended TPS for Haitians as part of its ongoing immigration crackdown. The flight last week included U.S.-born children, Jozef told ABC News.

Advocates like Jozef have called on the administration to halt deportations to Haiti because of ongoing violence there due to criminal gangs. Last week, at least 47 people were killed and more than 50 others were kidnapped when armed men attacked a community near Haiti's capital, the United Nations said.

"From the moment Pierre came to Springfield, he has done everything needed to be a valuable, upstanding member of American society. He not only attended school, but utilized all its opportunities to better prepare for his future," a Springfield High School teacher wrote in a letter to an immigration judge.

"He has adhered to all rules and legal requirements under TPS in good faith that, in proving he is an asset and not a detriment to this city and country, he may be able to continue to succeed and give back to the country that helped not only save him from the threat of violence, but also supported him and helped him realize his fullest potential," the teacher wrote.

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.