A Haitian-born college student in Ohio died on Monday after losing his Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections, leading his family to believe his death was a suicide. Pierre Damas Bel, 20, died from injuries sustained when he walked into oncoming traffic on Interstate 70, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The incident is under investigation.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine called Bel's death a "horrible, horrible tragedy," noting that Bel had graduated from high school in Ohio, was part of the junior ROTC, and had "great dreams about what he could do in this country."

Bel's father told The Haitian Times that his son was "distraught" after weeks of wearing an ankle monitor. Bel was among Haitian immigrants in the Springfield, Ohio area required to wear the devices after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to end Haiti's TPS designation. This termination potentially exposes roughly 350,000 Haitian nationals to removal.

"In his last days, I did not recognize him as he was such an energetic kid who loves life, friends and family, and education," Bel's father, Pierre Ronal Bel, stated. He told The Washington Post that his son left home Monday morning, called shortly after to say he was not feeling well mentally, and was later pronounced dead by police.

A month prior to his death, Bel expressed his distress over wearing the ankle monitor on social media. "I came to this country to pursue my education. I didn't come here to commit a crime or hurt anyone," he wrote. "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."

Pastor Carl Ruby, who is with the family, stated on Facebook that the family believes Bel took his own life due to "President Trump's immigration agenda that targeted TPS." Ruby added that the family wants people to know "President Trump, [White House deputy chief of staff] Stephen Miller, and [Homeland Security Secretary] Markwayne Mullin’s inhumane immigration policies made this happen."

Many Haitian immigrants in Springfield have lived in the U.S. for years, unable to return to Haiti due to ongoing violence, turmoil, and extreme poverty in the country.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement to WBTN that it "does not comment on the cause of death while that investigation is pending, and we will not speculate about unverified claims regarding other individuals."

Bel graduated from high school in May and had been unable to play college soccer at Wittenberg University because of the ankle monitor. He was set to begin his first semester at Wright State University. According to his father, Bel had expressed humiliation about the ankle monitor to his classmates in the junior ROTC program, as he did not receive the same uniform as others.

Wright State University President Sue Edwards described Bel as an "active honors student who was passionate about soccer" and extended the university's condolences to his family and loved ones.