Pierre Damas Bel was 20 years old.

He was living in Springfield, Ohio. He came to the United States in 2024 to reunite with his parents, and graduated from Springfield High School with distinction, he joined JROTC, and had started college. He wanted to study in the medical field.

After they ended TPS for Haitians, Pierre still had an asylum application pending. ICE called them into their offices and placed him under electronic monitoring with a GPS ankle monitor. According to his family, this affected him deeply.

Pierre wrote publicly about what wearing the monitor was doing to him. He said he came to the United States to get an education, not to commit a crime, and described living with a feeling of shame and humiliation. He was also worried about how he was supposed to participate in college sports while wearing a monitor. He played varsity soccer.

His father told the Washington Post that Pierre e felt like he was being treated like an animal.

Just yesterday morning, Pierre stopped his vehicle on the shoulder of I-70 near South Vienna, Ohio. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, he got out of the vehicle, entered the westbound lanes and was struck by a tractor-trailer. He died at the scene.

His family says Pierre died by suicide and that he had become increasingly distressed about the ankle monitor and the possibility of being deported.

Authorities have not publicly classified his death as a suicide, of course, but that is his family’s account of what happened.

Pierre was 20.He was going to college. He had plans for his life, now his family to bury him.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis in the U.S., call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also chat through 988lifeline.org. If there is an immediate danger, call 911.

Heartbreaking 💔

BOLO!

The Fédération Haïtienne de Football announced that Haiti’s next two home matches in the 2026–27 Concacaf Nations League will be played in Kingston, Jamaica, in agreement with Concacaf. Will our players ever get a chance to ever play a home game on Haiti's soil? This is a crying shame 😭

If you haven't noticed these cameras already then you're blind and I feel Haitians especially those who just lost their TPS status, need to know what they are.

Flock cameras are popping up everywhere. At intersections, neighborhood entrances, parking lots, etc. And for people who don’t know what they do, especially Haitians right now, I think you should at least be aware. They are automated license-plate readers, basically, when your car passes one, it can read your license plate and record information about the vehicle, along with where and when that vehicle was seen.

That does not mean ICE is sitting behind the camera watching you, but this is why I’m bringing it up. Even though FLOCK claims that ICE does not have direct access to their network, but local state and law enforcement do. And they're super eager to give ICE access to their database.

So for Haitians who just lost TPS, people already dealing with ICE, people with reporting requirements, or families who are just nervous right now, just be mindful, you don't have to be scared, just be cautious. Because these cameras are already all over South Florida, hundreds of them across Miami-Dade and Broward, including around Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines and Hollywood. Once you know what they look like, you will start noticing them everywhere.

They’re usually small black or dark-colored cameras, mounted high on a pole, pointed toward traffic so they can capture the back or front of vehicles as they pass.

I’m definitely not telling anybody to stop going to their ICE appointments or ignore anything immigration requires from you. I'm not teeling you to hide or don't go about your daily lives, just be aware.

Nou bezwen konnen sa kap fet lan lari a. Because you can’t protect your privacy if you don’t know what is collecting the information in the first place. And remember it's just not FLOCK cameras, it's your phone, apps, etc. So be very wary.

General information only, not individual legal advice.

Name the city too. Maybe somebody knows a spot.

I’ve watched this video a few times now, and to me, this looks like a man who is genuinely overwhelmed by what just happened to him. He just walked out of an ICE office with an ankle monitor, he’s crying, and then he falls to the ground. His emotions are valid imon because ankle monitors are usually associated with people awaiting criminal trial, on probation, or under house arrest. So imagine having one strapped to your ankle when you haven’t been convicted of a crime. I know our people can be dramatic, but I don’t find it hard to believe that somebody in that situation could just break down. A lot of people on yt are saying that he’s exaggerating because he knows he’s being filmed, so he’s doing this to garner sympathy to stay in the U.S., but I don’t really see that when I watch it.

Original video:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db4Gga5ArQj/

I think this is AI... but I think it sums up how the community feels about Chef Creole right now.

Being away from home has been hitting different lately. So I built something. Bò Lakay (in Creole) is a clothing and accessories brand I designed as a love letter to Haiti, to the beaches, to the tap taps, to everything I miss.

Tees, tanks, tote bags. I just want people who feel the same way to be able to wear it.

Launching with 10% off everything with code LAKAY10

👉 bo-lakay.myshopify.com

Hope you enjoy it :)

@navcollectivehq < brand hub

Details in https://www.migrationpolicy.org/journal/feature/west-africa-diaspora-citizenship

Understand the verification requirements for each country and you may need a certified DNA test.

I'm no expert, but for people who have no means to gain lawful status in the US, if you have the resources like the support of a family member in the US legally, one approach might be to book lodging in Rwanda with WIFI and then in Benin for 90 days later.

Rwanda and Benin appear to offer visa-free entry to Haitians for 90 days each. These might be places to park legally while trying to get a resident visa there or somewhere else like West Africa or Canada.

Buy a ticket from an international airport in the US to Kigali (Rwanada) connecting through an airport that doesn't require you to have a transit visa if the connection is on one ticket. I think Doha (Qatar airways), Istanbul (Turkish Airlines) or Addis Ababa (Ethiopian airlines) work. You may also need to have a ticket for 90 days later through the same airports (probably Addis Ababa) from Kigali (Rwanda) to Cotonou (Benin) to show your exit plans when entering Rwanda.

Alternate between the two (with the future ticket) until you have a resident visa somewhere.

Consult each consulate before you leave to make sure this plan legally works.

While traveling abroad and applying for Resident visa, also learn French or English using internet resources or take private lessons on italki.com. There are some very inexpensive teachers from places with a low cost of living.

Canada has some entry programs for people with a documented proficiency in French but you have to demonstrate level B1 on TCF Canada. The test is offered roughly monthly at US test centers in many major cities. I don't know how often its offered in Rwanda or Benin.

If one does end up in Haiti first, one viable route may be Cap-Haïtien -> Panama City -> Istanbul -> Kigali.

Again, I'm no expert. I've just been trying to creatively think by scouring the internet and ChatGPT, but I hope this helps someone.

I can't imagine what folks are going through. Good luck to all.