On Monday morning, Haitian national Pierre Damas Bel, who came to the United States to study, died by apparent suicide, weeks after Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued him an ankle monitor. He was 20.According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s report to NBC News, the Wright State University student stepped into oncoming traffic on Interstate 70 in Clark County, Ohio, in front of an 18-wheeler and succumbed to his injuries.Actress-activist Mia Farrow is now mourning the tragedy. She commented under a Threads post:“A young man who would surely have been a valuable asset to this country. I’m so very sorry. May you rest in peace, Pierre.”Mia Farrow mourns Pierre Damas Bel. (Image via Threads)His family is now blaming ICE for the death and is claiming that he was made to wear the electronic tracking device a few weeks ago. In fact, on July 30, Pierre Damas Bel took to social media and wrote:“I came to this country to pursue my education... 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. I came here to study, to build my future and to live a better [life], not to be treated like a criminal.”Bel’s father, Pierre Ronal Bel, told the outlet via an email that before committing suicide, his son video-called from inside his car and said he was being “bullied” at his college and felt emotionally and psychologically “humiliated” by wearing the device.“I told him to come home so we can talk. Around 11, the police showed up at my door to report that my son threw himself under a truck… My son was a bright, very responsible young man who helped his family and studied really hard,” the grieving dad stated.He also shared in the interview that Damas was “fine” before he was made to wear the ankle monitor, following which he “changed.”The incident has now sparked outrage across social media platforms.More about Pierre Damas Bel amid his untimely passingPierre Damas Bel arrived in the USA in 2024 with his parents and two brothers after he applied for TPS in the country using the now-defunct CBP One app, according to ICE reports. The family settled in Springfield, Ohio.Bel soon became an honor roll student at Springfield High School and was a member of J.R.O.T.C. and a lieutenant in the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. He was a freshman soccer recruit at Wittenberg University and wished to study neuroscience, local immigration advocates told NBC News.In a May Facebook post, the Springfield City School District featured Pierre Damas Bel as one of the recipients of a local $2,500 scholarship as part of the National Honor Society. He was seen wearing a blue suit and black bow tie, while accepting the award with a smile.However, his life took a turn on July 29 when ICE put him under an “alternatives to detention program” and issued an ankle monitor to track his moves, while Bel and his family continued seeking asylum via official immigration channels.At the time, Pierre, who also worked part-time at Texas Roadhouse, documented his experience and wrote online that he was in the USA to “study” and not to “commit a crime or hurt anyone.” On Instagram, he also posted request letters addressed to a judge from his teachers, mentors, and employer to remove the ankle monitor.Wittenberg University told NBC News that Pierre Damas Bel was no longer able to play on their men’s soccer team after he lost his temporary protected status/TPS (which allowed recipients to live, work, and study in the USA) in July, following a Supreme Court ruling that affected 300,000 Haitians living in the United States, including 12,000 in Springfield. He was also transferred to Wright State University in Dayton, where he was allegedly bullied.In the wake of the tragedy, ICE told the press that they would not “speculate about unverified claims” regarding Pierre Damas Bel, while an official investigation is pending into the death.“No one is required to stay in the United States illegally and wear a monitor,” officials explained.Meanwhile, Springfield pastor and immigration activist Carl Ruby told the publication that Bel’s family wanted everyone to know that he took his own life due to the ICE policies.“We do not want to politicize this, but this is a political problem, and the only solution is a political solution. The only way that this will never be corrected is if Republican elected officials join us in demanding better policy,” Ruby stated. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostOhio Governor Mike DeWine, who has long criticized Trump’s immigration policies and their impact on Ohio residents, called Pierre Damas Bel’s death a “horrible, horrible tragedy.” The Republican added:“I think that you know you’ve heard me talk a lot about what I consider to be a very misguided and wrong policy in regard to mass deporting people from this country... I think we have to ask ourselves: Is this really good? Is it what we want done to people like this being picked up and facing deportation? Do we want that being done in our name?”Pierre Damas Bel wasn’t the only Springfield resident to have been issued an ankle monitor. Last month, ICE put several Haitians under vigilance until immigration judges could decide whether they had legitimate reasons to continue staying in the country.According to Haitian Support Center co-founder and executive director Viles Dorsainvil, hundreds of Haitians, including the Bel family, contacted his office seeking legal help/guidance. Meanwhile, over 34 individuals have been detained since TPS ended.“I know many folks are depressed right now. I never had in my mind that it would have gotten to that point,” Dorsainvil added.Guerline Jozef, the executive director of the nonprofit Haitian Bridge Alliance, told the NY Times:“This is one of the most tragic outcomes of Trump's cruel and inhumane attacks on the Haitian community.”The Ohio-based Haitian Community Network has joined Pierre Damas Bel’s friends and family in seeking justice for the young life lost.On Sunday, hours before the suicide, the Springfield community gathered in a march called “Unshackle Springfield,” urging ICE to withdraw from their city.