Over the weekend, the family of Pierre Damas Bel laid him to rest. The 20-year-old Haitian student lost his legal immigration status in July after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to end temporary protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians. Bel died by suicide a month later. William Brangham reports.
In a church in Springfield, Ohio this Saturday, mourners gathered to remember Pierre Damas Bel, whose death has come to symbolize the impact of America's immigration policy. Bel was a 20-year-old from Haiti, an honor student, a member of Junior ROTC, and a college student with aspirations of entering the medical field.
Patricia Blair, Bel's former English teacher at Springfield High, described him as one of the most hardworking and dedicated students she had encountered in her 30 years of teaching. She noted that he was always happy to be in class and had a bright future ahead of him.
In July, Bel and many other Haitians in the U.S. were informed that their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was being terminated by the Trump administration. In a statement to the News Hour in August, ICE officials emphasized that TPS is meant to be temporary.
Bel was subsequently summoned to an ICE processing center and fitted with an ankle monitor. He expressed feelings of shame and humiliation on social media, stating, "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."
Bel's father, Pierre Ronal Bel, recounted a video call with his son shortly before his death, where Pierre expressed distress over being bullied and treated poorly. Shortly after their conversation, Bel stepped into oncoming traffic and was killed.
At his funeral, his family displayed his personal belongings, drawing parallels to the historical case of Emmett Till, aiming to highlight the realities faced by individuals within the immigration system. Ohio's Republican Governor Mike DeWine attended the service and criticized the Trump administration's immigration policies, stating that the situation is a tragedy for both the family and the community.
Meanwhile, President Trump defended his immigration policy at a rally in Ohio, without commenting on Bel's death. A DHS spokesperson stated that blaming ICE for Bel's death is inaccurate, asserting that individuals are not required to remain in the U.S. illegally.
Following Bel's death, immigration authorities have begun requiring Haitian immigrants to use a phone app for tracking instead of ankle monitors, a change that may have affected Bel's situation, according to his former teacher.
For the PBS News Hour, I'm William Brangham.