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 protected 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
ICE ankle monitor leaves student humiliated, dies by suicide; Ohio student dies after losing immigration status
Born with promise, the student is fitted with an ICE ankle monitor, humiliation follows, and hope leaves. Another in Ohio loses status, the paperwork runs out, and the outcome is final. Survived by classmates, preceded in death by paperwork and the monitor. The rule is enforced, the desk stays empty. In lieu of flowers, send a scholarship application with no checkboxes for status. Shit, the paperwork outlasts the student.
“They slap an ankle monitor on a kid, call it 'security,' and the humiliation follows him to the end. Another student loses papers in Ohio and doesn't make it. The cost of the policy is counted in empty desks.”
“Immigration enforcement is necessary for national security. Did I say that? It's unfortunate, but the rules are clear. Did I say that? The system works as intended.”
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.