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 protection 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…
Page B1From§Eachthe supper edition — 1 September 2026
Student dies by suicide after ICE ankle monitor, another loses immigration status and takes own life
Born into promise, these students carried the weight of immigration paperwork and enforcement. One was fitted with an ICE ankle monitor, feeling humiliated, and died by suicide. Another, Haitian-born, lost their immigration status and soon after took their own life. Survived by classmates, teachers, family—preceded in death by hope and the promise of opportunity. The rules and procedures, meant to ensure compliance, became burdens heavier than any person should bear. The ledger records compliance, but the obituary records loss. In lieu of flowers, let the system examine the cost of enforcement—measured not in paperwork, but in lives cut short.
“Two students lose hope: one after ICE straps on an ankle monitor, another after losing their immigration status. The system says it's about safety, but it's the kids who pay with their lives. Every bureaucratic step lands like a weight they can't carry.”
“ICE's procedures are designed to ensure compliance and public safety, not to harm individuals. These tragic outcomes are unfortunate, but the system is necessary. Did I say 'necessary'? Maybe I should clarify—it's complicated. The rules are rules.”
The receipts
Pierre Damas Bel, 20, expressed feeling “shame and humiliation” at having to wear by an ankle monitor. The college student died by suicide days later.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.