- United States
- Ohio
- Letter
Pierre Damas Bel was 20 years old, a Wright State student, and he is dead. His family says he took his own life after being taunted for wearing an ICE ankle monitor — a direct result of the Trump administration stripping temporary protected status from Haitian immigrants. Religious leaders in Springfield are calling this what it is: a moral catastrophe. You need to act, not respond.
Faith communities don't issue press releases — they bury their young. Every pastor, priest, and community elder who has stood at a Haitian graveside in this state is watching to see whether their elected officials have the same courage they do. The targeting of TPS holders isn't a policy disagreement; it is a question of whether we treat human beings as human beings. That is a moral line, and this administration has crossed it.
Push for a congressional review of the TPS terminations, demand oversight hearings, and co-sponsor any legislation that restores protections for this community. Use every legislative tool available to halt ICE's targeting of Haitian families in Ohio. Pierre's death is the predictable result of policies that treat people as enforcement targets. The Haitian community in Springfield is not waiting for another statement — they are waiting for someone to fight.