- United States
- Texas
- Letter
Pierre Damas Bel was 20 years old. He played varsity soccer, earned a JROTC lieutenant rank, and had a spot waiting for him at Wright State University. Last Monday, after DHS fitted him with a GPS ankle monitor following the termination of his TPS status, he walked into traffic on I-70 in Springfield, Ohio, and died. Restore TPS protections for Haitian immigrants and end the ankle monitor program immediately.
This wasn't an accident of policy. Pierre posted in July that he felt "shame and humiliation" wearing that monitor. His father said Pierre told him he felt "treated like an animal." His teachers, his JROTC commander, his employers — all wrote letters to an immigration judge calling him an asset to this country. The Supreme Court cleared the way for this administration to strip TPS from over 350,000 Haitians, and now a kid who did everything right is dead.
Haiti is not safe. Last week alone, 47 people were killed and more than 50 kidnapped in a single gang attack near the capital. Deporting people there — including, reportedly, U.S.-born children — is unconscionable. This is not border security. It is cruelty with a federal budget. Stop the deportation flights, restore TPS, and remove these monitors from people who have committed no crime.