A 20-year-old Haitian college student in Ohio died after stepping into oncoming traffic on Interstate 70, shortly after telling his father that he was experiencing severe emotional distress over an electronic monitoring device fitted by US immigration authorities.

Pierre Damas Bel, a student at Wright State University and a former high school athlete, died on Monday morning in what family members and local community advocates have described as an apparent suicide.

According to his family, Bel had been distressed by being required to wear a GPS ankle monitor and by bullying from peers who noticed the device.

His death has drawn renewed attention to the US government’s expanded use of electronic monitoring for immigrants following changes to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals.

US media reports said Bel entered the United States through a port of entry in Texas in March 2024 and was allowed to remain in the country while his legal claims were processed.

On July 29, 2026, federal immigration officials fitted him with a GPS ankle monitor as part of his immigration proceedings.

Bel subsequently wrote about the emotional impact of wearing the device on social media. In an Instagram post on July 30, he described feelings of shame and humiliation and said the monitor affected his ability to participate in sports.

“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, carrying a feeling of shame and humiliation that I never imagined I would experience,” he wrote.

His father, Pierre Ronal Bel, said his son’s distress worsened after he felt excluded from a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) course because he did not receive a uniform alongside his classmates.

However, representatives of the US Army Cadet Command said the ankle monitor was not the reason Bel did not receive a uniform.

The agency said non-citizens can take the ROTC course as an elective but are not eligible to participate as enlisted cadets and therefore do not qualify for standard uniform issuance under the programme’s rules.

ICE confirmed that Bel had been fitted with an electronic monitoring device while his immigration proceedings were pending. The agency said it does not comment on open investigations into causes of death by local law enforcement, while maintaining that electronic monitoring is a standard immigration enforcement tool.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed that a fatal incident occurred on Interstate 70 and said an investigation into the circumstances was ongoing.

Wright State University also expressed condolences, describing Bel as an academically accomplished student who was involved in the university community. The university said support services had been made available on campus.

Friends and family described Bel as an ambitious honours student who planned to study neuroscience. Before beginning university, he participated in secondary school sports and military training preparation programmes.

His social media posts reflected the emotional strain he said he experienced while wearing the monitor and pursuing his education in the United States.

Bel’s death comes amid broader changes to immigration policies affecting Haitian nationals living in Ohio. Local advocates say the policy changes have been accompanied by an increase in the use of electronic monitoring within immigrant communities.

Faith leaders, including representatives of Central Christian Church in Springfield, have criticised the monitoring policy, arguing that it can place significant psychological pressure on young immigrants.

Community leaders held public gatherings in Springfield this week to discuss what they described as the mental health impact of electronic monitoring and to call for changes to the policy as authorities continue investigating Bel’s death