Oregon Sen. Wyden says ‘Trump’s obsession with deporting law-abiding students doesn’t make any of us safer’ following death of immigrant in what his family believes was a suicide

Oregon – Ron Wyden is calling for permanent legal protections for immigrants after the death of a 20-year-old Haitian college student in Ohio, whose family says he died by suicide after losing temporary immigration protections and being placed on an ICE ankle monitor.

“The consequences of Trump’s immigration agenda are sick and deadly,” Wyden said last week. “Trump’s obsession with deporting law-abiding students, health care workers and caregivers doesn’t make any of us safer. Time to pass permanent legal protections for these immigrants.”

Wyden was responding to a Washington Post report about Pierre Damas Bel, a Haitian immigrant and Wright State University student who died Aug. 31 after walking into traffic on Interstate 70 in Springfield, Ohio. The Ohio State Highway Patrol said Bel parked on the shoulder, got out of his vehicle and entered westbound traffic, where he was struck by a tractor-trailer and pronounced dead at the scene. His death remains under investigation.

Bel’s family has said the 20-year-old had become increasingly distressed after the Trump administration ended temporary protected status for Haitians and Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed an electronic monitoring device around his ankle.

According to his father, Pierres Ronal Bel, the young man felt humiliated by the monitor and told his family that he was struggling emotionally. His father said Bel had asked immigration officials to remove the device but was refused. The family also said classmates made cruel remarks about the monitor and that Bel was unable to participate in some of the activities that had been important to him, Ohio CJ reported.

Bel was a student at Wright State University and had aspirations of becoming a doctor. He had also been involved in soccer and a junior ROTC program, according to reports about his life and his family’s statements.

In an Instagram post in late July, Bel wrote that he had come to the United States to pursue his education and said he felt shame and humiliation while wearing the GPS monitor.

The circumstances surrounding Bel’s death have drawn renewed attention to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts involving Haitian immigrants.

The Supreme Court ruled in June that the Trump administration could proceed with ending temporary protected status for hundreds of thousands of Haitians. The protection had allowed eligible Haitians to remain legally in the United States because of conditions in their home country. Following the court’s decision, the administration moved to end the protections and began requiring some Haitian immigrants to report to ICE offices.

ICE began outfitting some Haitians with ankle monitors during those appointments. The Washington Post reported that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were being summoned to ICE offices, where some were arrested and then conditionally released with electronic monitoring devices. Attorneys and immigrant advocates said the individuals involved were complying with the law and did not necessarily have criminal records.

The administration has also begun deporting Haitians who lost their protected status. The Washington Post reported that removal flights to Haiti have taken place as immigration officials intensified enforcement against people who previously had protection from deportation.

Wyden, an Oregon Democrat and longtime critic of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, used Bel’s death to renew his call for Congress to provide permanent legal protections.

His comments came as other Democrats and immigration advocates have also criticized the administration’s handling of Haitians, arguing that ending protections and increasing enforcement have created fear and uncertainty in communities with large Haitian populations.

The Haitian Bridge Alliance, an advocacy organization, has argued that the immigration crackdown contributed to the circumstances surrounding Bel’s death. Other reports have documented anxiety within Springfield’s Haitian community following the termination of temporary protected status and the introduction of ankle-monitoring requirements.

The Trump administration has defended its immigration policies, while federal officials have maintained that Haitians who no longer have legal protection must comply with immigration law. The Department of Homeland Security has also declined to comment specifically on the circumstances of Bel’s death while the investigation remains ongoing.

Wyden’s statement places the death within a broader political debate over whether immigrants who are living and working legally in the United States should receive permanent protections rather than temporary status that can be ended by a future administration.

For Wyden, the issue goes beyond immigration policy. He argued that the consequences of the current enforcement approach are affecting students, health care workers and caregivers and called on Congress to act.

“Time to pass permanent legal protections for these immigrants,” Wyden said.