November 21, 2025 – In a move that’s igniting fury across the healthcare sector, the Trump administration’s Department of Education has stripped nursing of its long-standing classification as a “professional degree,” effectively capping federal student loans for advanced nursing programs and exacerbating an already dire national nurse shortage. The policy shift, buried in the implementation of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), will hit hardest in immigrant-heavy communities like those of Haitian Americans, where nursing has served as
a vital ladder to economic stability and culturally attuned patient care.
The OBBBA, signed into law earlier this year, overhauls federal student aid by eliminating the Grad PLUS program – which previously allowed graduate and professional students to borrow up to the full cost of attendance – and imposing strict lifetime borrowing limits: $100,000 for general graduate students and $200,000 for those in designated “professional” fields. It also introduces a new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) with annual caps of $20,500 for graduate loans and $50,000 for professional ones, all set to take effect on July 1, 2026.
What’s In – and What’s Out – of the ‘Professional’ List
The Department of Education’s revamped definition of “professional degrees” now includes only:
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Dentistry
- Optometry
- Law
- Veterinary medicine
- Osteopathic medicine
- Podiatry
- Chiropractic
- Theology
- Clinical psychology
Conspicuously absent are nursing, nurse practitioner programs, physician assistant training, physical therapy, and audiology – fields dominated by women and critical to primary care. As nurse.org bluntly put it in a recent report: “In simple terms, becoming an advanced practice nurse just got harder and more expensive.”
The department defends the changes as “commonsense limits and guardrails” to simplify repayment and curb borrowing excesses. But critics, including the American Nurses Association (ANA), argue it’s a shortsighted blow to the workforce. “Limiting student nurses’ access to funding threatens the very foundation of patient care,” the ANA warned in a statement, predicting fewer students will pursue nursing amid skyrocketing demand – with over 267,000 already enrolled in Bache
lor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs nationwide.
Johns Hopkins nursing professor Olga Yakusheva echoed the alarm: “With a cap on federal student loans, fewer nurses will be able to afford graduate nursing education, such as Master’s, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and Ph.D. degrees.”
The policy’s ripple effects will be felt acutely in Haitian-American enclaves, where nursing has long been a cornerstone of upward mobility. Haitian immigrants and their descendants are heavily overrepresented in the U.S. healthcare workforce, particularly as registered nurses, nursing aides, and advanced practitioners – drawn to the profession’s stability, family-supporting salaries, and alignment with cultural values of community caregiving.
In states like Florida, New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey – home to the largest Haitian diaspora – these professionals staff hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities in underserved areas. Organizations like the Haitian American Nurses Association (HANA) highlight how nursing provides a pathway out of poverty for 85% of Haitian families classified as low-income, offering not just jobs but culturally competent care that bridges language and trust barriers for immigrant patients.
Reduced loan access could deter the next generation from MSN, DNP, or nurse practitioner tracks, worsening shortages in minority communities where Haitian-American nurses deliver vital, empathetic services. “This isn’t just about dollars – it’s about closing doors on families who’ve built our healthcare safety net,” said HANA Florida President Amina Dubuisson in a recent statement.
The announcement has unleashed a torrent of backlash on social media and from nursing advocates, with many decrying it as a gendered assault on fields “dominated by women like healthcare, counseling, and social work.” A New Jersey ER nurse, saddled with $210,000 in debt after a decade of schooling, vented on TikTok: “This is how you fix the nursing shortage? By making it impossible to afford?”
Wisconsin educators, facing their own shortages, warned that the caps will slash enrollment in nurse practitioner programs essential for rural and mental health roles. The ANA has called on Education Secretary Linda McMahon to reverse course, urging recognition of nursing as “the essential profession it is.”
As the July 2026 rollout looms, nursing students and organizations are mobilizing for legal challenges and lobbying pushes. In a nation still reeling from pandemic-era workforce losses, this reclassification isn’t just policy – it’s a potential crisis for bedside care.
This story is developing. Advocacy groups are planning protests and congressional briefings in the coming weeks.
Source Credits: Courier Newsroom | @lakenbanks_ | @raechats_


























![[TRIGGER WARNING] Pierre Damas Bel came to the United States to go to school. On Monday morning, the 20-year-old Haitian TPS holder was pronounced dead on Interstate 70 after he was struck by a semi-truck near South Vienna. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Springfield Post said troopers were called at 8:45 a.m. to the 66 mile marker of westbound I-70, near Ohio 54. Bel was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Bel was a recent graduate of Springfield High School, class of 2026. During his senior year he played soccer for the Wildcats as a forward and midfielder. After graduation, he was looking ahead to college sports.
On July 30, Bel wrote on Instagram that immigration authorities had placed a GPS monitor on his leg, and that the device had stripped him of the future he thought he was building.
“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.”
His father, Pierre Ronal Bel, told L’Union Suite in an interview Monday that the monitor went on his son’s left leg only a few weeks ago and that Pierre Damas was traumatized & depressed. The last conversation between father and son was at 8:03 a.m. Monday, 42 minutes before troopers were called to I-70.
Pierre Ronal said his son was sitting in a car and told him he was struggling. The father told him to come home so they could talk, sit together, eat, and work through it. Minutes later the phone cut off. He kept calling. He could not reach his son. Pierre Ronal said police told him today his son’s death was intentional but he’s having a hard time processing it all.
L’Union Suite has not independently confirmed the official manner of death. The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation is ongoing, & the truck driver has not been publicly identified.
What is not in dispute is the pressure Pierre Damas Bel was under. Rest In Peace Pierre. We extend our deepest condolences to Pierre Ronal & the Bel family. 💔🕊️#lunionsuite](https://www.lunionsuite.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/792717838_18628778875023307_2233338478062184444_n-1-512x640.jpg)

















































![[TRIGGER WARNING] Pierre Damas Bel came to the United States to go to school. On Monday morning, the 20-year-old Haitian TPS holder was pronounced dead on Interstate 70 after he was struck by a semi-truck near South Vienna. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Springfield Post said troopers were called at 8:45 a.m. to the 66 mile marker of westbound I-70, near Ohio 54. Bel was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Bel was a recent graduate of Springfield High School, class of 2026. During his senior year he played soccer for the Wildcats as a forward and midfielder. After graduation, he was looking ahead to college sports.
On July 30, Bel wrote on Instagram that immigration authorities had placed a GPS monitor on his leg, and that the device had stripped him of the future he thought he was building.
“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.”
His father, Pierre Ronal Bel, told L’Union Suite in an interview Monday that the monitor went on his son’s left leg only a few weeks ago and that Pierre Damas was traumatized & depressed. The last conversation between father and son was at 8:03 a.m. Monday, 42 minutes before troopers were called to I-70.
Pierre Ronal said his son was sitting in a car and told him he was struggling. The father told him to come home so they could talk, sit together, eat, and work through it. Minutes later the phone cut off. He kept calling. He could not reach his son. Pierre Ronal said police told him today his son’s death was intentional but he’s having a hard time processing it all.
L’Union Suite has not independently confirmed the official manner of death. The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation is ongoing, & the truck driver has not been publicly identified.
What is not in dispute is the pressure Pierre Damas Bel was under. Rest In Peace Pierre. We extend our deepest condolences to Pierre Ronal & the Bel family. 💔🕊️#lunionsuite](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/792717838_18628778875023307_2233338478062184444_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=110&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=pVPGBZNRvJkQ7kNvwH7ii3-&_nc_oc=AdpdRIZ8_n5w5F0jfj6EO-LZeqrdBHP8hjtcBS3Vv-fpJwehBwnsC0yKlbbHFYYrJR8&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=bCTdy6Mtwk2hpGguDjwi_g&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQKgbbtofxfRl4Q7DzVcHDK_yUWepKty0AU06md9EN8HCXZnFUUEYtIYSK96zlzkR_shbI89-dbP&oh=00_AQL74b6dk5W-YUViKrDkkIL7ZKSIf4qY9MEU1TW-WrzdFA&oe=6A9FE65F)
![[TRIGGER WARNING] Pierre Damas Bel came to the United States to go to school. On Monday morning, the 20-year-old Haitian TPS holder was pronounced dead on Interstate 70 after he was struck by a semi-truck near South Vienna. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Springfield Post said troopers were called at 8:45 a.m. to the 66 mile marker of westbound I-70, near Ohio 54. Bel was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Bel was a recent graduate of Springfield High School, class of 2026. During his senior year he played soccer for the Wildcats as a forward and midfielder. After graduation, he was looking ahead to college sports.
On July 30, Bel wrote on Instagram that immigration authorities had placed a GPS monitor on his leg, and that the device had stripped him of the future he thought he was building.
“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.”
His father, Pierre Ronal Bel, told L’Union Suite in an interview Monday that the monitor went on his son’s left leg only a few weeks ago and that Pierre Damas was traumatized & depressed. The last conversation between father and son was at 8:03 a.m. Monday, 42 minutes before troopers were called to I-70.
Pierre Ronal said his son was sitting in a car and told him he was struggling. The father told him to come home so they could talk, sit together, eat, and work through it. Minutes later the phone cut off. He kept calling. He could not reach his son. Pierre Ronal said police told him today his son’s death was intentional but he’s having a hard time processing it all.
L’Union Suite has not independently confirmed the official manner of death. The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation is ongoing, & the truck driver has not been publicly identified.
What is not in dispute is the pressure Pierre Damas Bel was under. Rest In Peace Pierre. We extend our deepest condolences to Pierre Ronal & the Bel family. 💔🕊️#lunionsuite](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/790392498_18628778839023307_7639948884520458504_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=100&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=IKbrJ6XMYGkQ7kNvwHLiGqW&_nc_oc=AdqSXuVwaYr5Mn4_hU7WuUFopxb3VGFVj7yUH4gOo-4U356Ex9oFVgQEKmggLp-2_6A&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=bCTdy6Mtwk2hpGguDjwi_g&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQK-d0ePrXjuDWizwohO2Z-88Tnp2o9UJYdaOyjaLjTAE4lDOdQRwRbuWJ2Z3uq2GnvqL89CJx37&oh=00_AQJuSGuG5rKgAZbwSAczgGio1LX9BQUCSJg7S5cfJn1B_A&oe=6A9FD99D)
![[TRIGGER WARNING] Pierre Damas Bel came to the United States to go to school. On Monday morning, the 20-year-old Haitian TPS holder was pronounced dead on Interstate 70 after he was struck by a semi-truck near South Vienna. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Springfield Post said troopers were called at 8:45 a.m. to the 66 mile marker of westbound I-70, near Ohio 54. Bel was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Bel was a recent graduate of Springfield High School, class of 2026. During his senior year he played soccer for the Wildcats as a forward and midfielder. After graduation, he was looking ahead to college sports.
On July 30, Bel wrote on Instagram that immigration authorities had placed a GPS monitor on his leg, and that the device had stripped him of the future he thought he was building.
“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.”
His father, Pierre Ronal Bel, told L’Union Suite in an interview Monday that the monitor went on his son’s left leg only a few weeks ago and that Pierre Damas was traumatized & depressed. The last conversation between father and son was at 8:03 a.m. Monday, 42 minutes before troopers were called to I-70.
Pierre Ronal said his son was sitting in a car and told him he was struggling. The father told him to come home so they could talk, sit together, eat, and work through it. Minutes later the phone cut off. He kept calling. He could not reach his son. Pierre Ronal said police told him today his son’s death was intentional but he’s having a hard time processing it all.
L’Union Suite has not independently confirmed the official manner of death. The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation is ongoing, & the truck driver has not been publicly identified.
What is not in dispute is the pressure Pierre Damas Bel was under. Rest In Peace Pierre. We extend our deepest condolences to Pierre Ronal & the Bel family. 💔🕊️#lunionsuite](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/790226064_18628778830023307_271064324996924571_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=106&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=jHCy7YgtfCMQ7kNvwFNe1N5&_nc_oc=Adq5xbu92MCw_xGlBu5x6z9UFvtboF_8Wt0VmyfvFxa3sn5tt-y30MgbT5RGSn2kJcc&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=bCTdy6Mtwk2hpGguDjwi_g&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQIT1eRoHXOAsVc-YvC_f8jfkAyuZDDb5_1FV7AHuUn0b-OOKxgnKRi0T9Zhkh_g8mSL8BzTSVqm&oh=00_AQIjlmSUDdLPFvak0487idWG_XUEGcwghqLuVoxU9qr-_w&oe=6A9FD9E8)
![[TRIGGER WARNING] Pierre Damas Bel came to the United States to go to school. On Monday morning, the 20-year-old Haitian TPS holder was pronounced dead on Interstate 70 after he was struck by a semi-truck near South Vienna. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Springfield Post said troopers were called at 8:45 a.m. to the 66 mile marker of westbound I-70, near Ohio 54. Bel was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Bel was a recent graduate of Springfield High School, class of 2026. During his senior year he played soccer for the Wildcats as a forward and midfielder. After graduation, he was looking ahead to college sports.
On July 30, Bel wrote on Instagram that immigration authorities had placed a GPS monitor on his leg, and that the device had stripped him of the future he thought he was building.
“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.”
His father, Pierre Ronal Bel, told L’Union Suite in an interview Monday that the monitor went on his son’s left leg only a few weeks ago and that Pierre Damas was traumatized & depressed. The last conversation between father and son was at 8:03 a.m. Monday, 42 minutes before troopers were called to I-70.
Pierre Ronal said his son was sitting in a car and told him he was struggling. The father told him to come home so they could talk, sit together, eat, and work through it. Minutes later the phone cut off. He kept calling. He could not reach his son. Pierre Ronal said police told him today his son’s death was intentional but he’s having a hard time processing it all.
L’Union Suite has not independently confirmed the official manner of death. The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation is ongoing, & the truck driver has not been publicly identified.
What is not in dispute is the pressure Pierre Damas Bel was under. Rest In Peace Pierre. We extend our deepest condolences to Pierre Ronal & the Bel family. 💔🕊️#lunionsuite](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/792206821_18628778857023307_4454776031995838003_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=110&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=xYHRfOkrsh0Q7kNvwGI9NzB&_nc_oc=AdqaOFW4m3GygIG2OMnkp7RSZbLX5AJ5jtg74O1JZd5ujPMausaLe4TnJvqPXPZEKXk&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=bCTdy6Mtwk2hpGguDjwi_g&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQIlpVSBWXFITibm5U1GDK8N5iYURcefKPN23gywptjAvQW0RG-tkhmLVlsfPw65iMtYh6ANDbHR&oh=00_AQJmuTGlgvbjfMBRESMRUuxEGWakwbjPmxsO_LNZmjWOlg&oe=6A9FD119)
![[TRIGGER WARNING] Pierre Damas Bel came to the United States to go to school. On Monday morning, the 20-year-old Haitian TPS holder was pronounced dead on Interstate 70 after he was struck by a semi-truck near South Vienna. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Springfield Post said troopers were called at 8:45 a.m. to the 66 mile marker of westbound I-70, near Ohio 54. Bel was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Bel was a recent graduate of Springfield High School, class of 2026. During his senior year he played soccer for the Wildcats as a forward and midfielder. After graduation, he was looking ahead to college sports.
On July 30, Bel wrote on Instagram that immigration authorities had placed a GPS monitor on his leg, and that the device had stripped him of the future he thought he was building.
“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.”
His father, Pierre Ronal Bel, told L’Union Suite in an interview Monday that the monitor went on his son’s left leg only a few weeks ago and that Pierre Damas was traumatized & depressed. The last conversation between father and son was at 8:03 a.m. Monday, 42 minutes before troopers were called to I-70.
Pierre Ronal said his son was sitting in a car and told him he was struggling. The father told him to come home so they could talk, sit together, eat, and work through it. Minutes later the phone cut off. He kept calling. He could not reach his son. Pierre Ronal said police told him today his son’s death was intentional but he’s having a hard time processing it all.
L’Union Suite has not independently confirmed the official manner of death. The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation is ongoing, & the truck driver has not been publicly identified.
What is not in dispute is the pressure Pierre Damas Bel was under. Rest In Peace Pierre. We extend our deepest condolences to Pierre Ronal & the Bel family. 💔🕊️#lunionsuite](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/786657733_18628778887023307_2878714942818104573_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=111&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=fsM3Ov0vZ-8Q7kNvwHcx-zC&_nc_oc=AdpUjSkP-r-_0-zshlPRAi_jSH_d57ZnUhBAFYJ5EKQTcw5nHP76GVFliSOVe90Rdwc&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=bCTdy6Mtwk2hpGguDjwi_g&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQKaxjGQ6dT6fUwmjSccIBZCzBr7kWU7QZbu44dd6MtEc4-PVFnSDE_LwE5LQPnZO9GvuYix9T3v&oh=00_AQInSbecSvXsHnuy2W04hMlxSZhb1IwTvRl0a0d36Db88A&oe=6A9FB8F0)
![[TRIGGER WARNING] Pierre Damas Bel came to the United States to go to school. On Monday morning, the 20-year-old Haitian TPS holder was pronounced dead on Interstate 70 after he was struck by a semi-truck near South Vienna. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Springfield Post said troopers were called at 8:45 a.m. to the 66 mile marker of westbound I-70, near Ohio 54. Bel was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Bel was a recent graduate of Springfield High School, class of 2026. During his senior year he played soccer for the Wildcats as a forward and midfielder. After graduation, he was looking ahead to college sports.
On July 30, Bel wrote on Instagram that immigration authorities had placed a GPS monitor on his leg, and that the device had stripped him of the future he thought he was building.
“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.”
His father, Pierre Ronal Bel, told L’Union Suite in an interview Monday that the monitor went on his son’s left leg only a few weeks ago and that Pierre Damas was traumatized & depressed. The last conversation between father and son was at 8:03 a.m. Monday, 42 minutes before troopers were called to I-70.
Pierre Ronal said his son was sitting in a car and told him he was struggling. The father told him to come home so they could talk, sit together, eat, and work through it. Minutes later the phone cut off. He kept calling. He could not reach his son. Pierre Ronal said police told him today his son’s death was intentional but he’s having a hard time processing it all.
L’Union Suite has not independently confirmed the official manner of death. The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation is ongoing, & the truck driver has not been publicly identified.
What is not in dispute is the pressure Pierre Damas Bel was under. Rest In Peace Pierre. We extend our deepest condolences to Pierre Ronal & the Bel family. 💔🕊️#lunionsuite](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/791890865_18628778935023307_8419795396321461539_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=105&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=lefOKoqtdS0Q7kNvwE4xvBD&_nc_oc=AdrUSk0KM8uki5B6xjsvPOTXnTN4Wd_lYckPBTNZT4-VysocN4wwSBLukjepUGaTS0M&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=bCTdy6Mtwk2hpGguDjwi_g&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQLaL1DbQzdLcO_kUqo7N-nobzk2ewlcTFHZxx8uph4ieMvLSwCmD14xMAG6kDJZcSwPybI4U7J3&oh=00_AQL8SV_ZkULScQ-BWXKBgrbTQ-oOVMUxUEr7sT3ivgaMzg&oe=6A9FEA7A)
![[TRIGGER WARNING] Pierre Damas Bel came to the United States to go to school. On Monday morning, the 20-year-old Haitian TPS holder was pronounced dead on Interstate 70 after he was struck by a semi-truck near South Vienna. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Springfield Post said troopers were called at 8:45 a.m. to the 66 mile marker of westbound I-70, near Ohio 54. Bel was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Bel was a recent graduate of Springfield High School, class of 2026. During his senior year he played soccer for the Wildcats as a forward and midfielder. After graduation, he was looking ahead to college sports.
On July 30, Bel wrote on Instagram that immigration authorities had placed a GPS monitor on his leg, and that the device had stripped him of the future he thought he was building.
“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.”
His father, Pierre Ronal Bel, told L’Union Suite in an interview Monday that the monitor went on his son’s left leg only a few weeks ago and that Pierre Damas was traumatized & depressed. The last conversation between father and son was at 8:03 a.m. Monday, 42 minutes before troopers were called to I-70.
Pierre Ronal said his son was sitting in a car and told him he was struggling. The father told him to come home so they could talk, sit together, eat, and work through it. Minutes later the phone cut off. He kept calling. He could not reach his son. Pierre Ronal said police told him today his son’s death was intentional but he’s having a hard time processing it all.
L’Union Suite has not independently confirmed the official manner of death. The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation is ongoing, & the truck driver has not been publicly identified.
What is not in dispute is the pressure Pierre Damas Bel was under. Rest In Peace Pierre. We extend our deepest condolences to Pierre Ronal & the Bel family. 💔🕊️#lunionsuite](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/791483641_18628778848023307_5834588202028335827_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=105&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=diiYqjyloRwQ7kNvwEPyixH&_nc_oc=AdrEx6umdBUtC-xKlCdJddYy43Tr8lBhfBUZ2Di1ZDddl3dI1OI0bC35L-AISQh5bQc&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=bCTdy6Mtwk2hpGguDjwi_g&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQIgSndPLpxd5aswX6HU0t8IoBK2hvftqzYtbrnh_tNnrIQrpXXDfqrj9Bng4orSH72ZMDJ5lPci&oh=00_AQJoCntmt6IAqlPCpX2rM7EyuIonMpV0byR-TF5fBpDkug&oe=6A9FD58D)
![[TRIGGER WARNING] Pierre Damas Bel came to the United States to go to school. On Monday morning, the 20-year-old Haitian TPS holder was pronounced dead on Interstate 70 after he was struck by a semi-truck near South Vienna. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Springfield Post said troopers were called at 8:45 a.m. to the 66 mile marker of westbound I-70, near Ohio 54. Bel was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Bel was a recent graduate of Springfield High School, class of 2026. During his senior year he played soccer for the Wildcats as a forward and midfielder. After graduation, he was looking ahead to college sports.
On July 30, Bel wrote on Instagram that immigration authorities had placed a GPS monitor on his leg, and that the device had stripped him of the future he thought he was building.
“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.”
His father, Pierre Ronal Bel, told L’Union Suite in an interview Monday that the monitor went on his son’s left leg only a few weeks ago and that Pierre Damas was traumatized & depressed. The last conversation between father and son was at 8:03 a.m. Monday, 42 minutes before troopers were called to I-70.
Pierre Ronal said his son was sitting in a car and told him he was struggling. The father told him to come home so they could talk, sit together, eat, and work through it. Minutes later the phone cut off. He kept calling. He could not reach his son. Pierre Ronal said police told him today his son’s death was intentional but he’s having a hard time processing it all.
L’Union Suite has not independently confirmed the official manner of death. The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation is ongoing, & the truck driver has not been publicly identified.
What is not in dispute is the pressure Pierre Damas Bel was under. Rest In Peace Pierre. We extend our deepest condolences to Pierre Ronal & the Bel family. 💔🕊️#lunionsuite](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/791003488_18628778872023307_3451721526448623210_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=111&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=ilzZ3sPUXG8Q7kNvwFTzSUh&_nc_oc=AdoxnoegyTuDFSMgwc805uIqcxMzXu7dqAdZzSJWWCSiukWcUqMXv5FzJ42TVaEirlE&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=bCTdy6Mtwk2hpGguDjwi_g&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQLv0968uYw86kJKRV25tWZ6bqh2tzts9LOM6e4t4XYPG-gEFyf06YrNkbqZ2Sq4YuAeyyTI6d0g&oh=00_AQKwcEVWPPeUVGSXerdRFihfNuaMsYhhT8nIFDY2XEOO3g&oe=6A9FDB31)
![[TRIGGER WARNING] Pierre Damas Bel came to the United States to go to school. On Monday morning, the 20-year-old Haitian TPS holder was pronounced dead on Interstate 70 after he was struck by a semi-truck near South Vienna. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Springfield Post said troopers were called at 8:45 a.m. to the 66 mile marker of westbound I-70, near Ohio 54. Bel was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Bel was a recent graduate of Springfield High School, class of 2026. During his senior year he played soccer for the Wildcats as a forward and midfielder. After graduation, he was looking ahead to college sports.
On July 30, Bel wrote on Instagram that immigration authorities had placed a GPS monitor on his leg, and that the device had stripped him of the future he thought he was building.
“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.”
His father, Pierre Ronal Bel, told L’Union Suite in an interview Monday that the monitor went on his son’s left leg only a few weeks ago and that Pierre Damas was traumatized & depressed. The last conversation between father and son was at 8:03 a.m. Monday, 42 minutes before troopers were called to I-70.
Pierre Ronal said his son was sitting in a car and told him he was struggling. The father told him to come home so they could talk, sit together, eat, and work through it. Minutes later the phone cut off. He kept calling. He could not reach his son. Pierre Ronal said police told him today his son’s death was intentional but he’s having a hard time processing it all.
L’Union Suite has not independently confirmed the official manner of death. The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation is ongoing, & the truck driver has not been publicly identified.
What is not in dispute is the pressure Pierre Damas Bel was under. Rest In Peace Pierre. We extend our deepest condolences to Pierre Ronal & the Bel family. 💔🕊️#lunionsuite](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/792521111_18628778959023307_1144532951296987569_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=100&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=YrUdRPDIvHsQ7kNvwG1EL6Q&_nc_oc=AdrD_40Q9J7SLmzIq2q7U1T6C6UyxBot63RA6wvOt_LUX3wTpduUZB1xnl4h1qXGKXc&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=bCTdy6Mtwk2hpGguDjwi_g&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQLa0ZaT1AHsMSqJ7IYPqpIOeh38m4fPF7tiF31BijT7mCHDmQKPzGM3SaMz5GGgD7jHEktzUR-g&oh=00_AQJKVDlFkAcIeuvzfi5h0xHHLYXCdeka7Ji-UUP5x5JA_w&oe=6A9FC156)
![[TRIGGER WARNING] Pierre Damas Bel came to the United States to go to school. On Monday morning, the 20-year-old Haitian TPS holder was pronounced dead on Interstate 70 after he was struck by a semi-truck near South Vienna. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Springfield Post said troopers were called at 8:45 a.m. to the 66 mile marker of westbound I-70, near Ohio 54. Bel was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Bel was a recent graduate of Springfield High School, class of 2026. During his senior year he played soccer for the Wildcats as a forward and midfielder. After graduation, he was looking ahead to college sports.
On July 30, Bel wrote on Instagram that immigration authorities had placed a GPS monitor on his leg, and that the device had stripped him of the future he thought he was building.
“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.”
His father, Pierre Ronal Bel, told L’Union Suite in an interview Monday that the monitor went on his son’s left leg only a few weeks ago and that Pierre Damas was traumatized & depressed. The last conversation between father and son was at 8:03 a.m. Monday, 42 minutes before troopers were called to I-70.
Pierre Ronal said his son was sitting in a car and told him he was struggling. The father told him to come home so they could talk, sit together, eat, and work through it. Minutes later the phone cut off. He kept calling. He could not reach his son. Pierre Ronal said police told him today his son’s death was intentional but he’s having a hard time processing it all.
L’Union Suite has not independently confirmed the official manner of death. The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation is ongoing, & the truck driver has not been publicly identified.
What is not in dispute is the pressure Pierre Damas Bel was under. Rest In Peace Pierre. We extend our deepest condolences to Pierre Ronal & the Bel family. 💔🕊️#lunionsuite](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/791110564_18628778902023307_8517537822774016931_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=100&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=pJpsLd_vxRsQ7kNvwEI-CWv&_nc_oc=Adr3W-rn8yfKWCAxJ-bZfU_np8D38vMMMjrqWwSxgFRMhVtxXOXwFqTtWdLOC0JmTKI&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=bCTdy6Mtwk2hpGguDjwi_g&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQIBWKWI5ClfJWVAZB0m4a8EKM6ac9PjgAJ15Z6k6aaYOFa5czP8tGrzxmtfb3QWWQYNidmtwwWy&oh=00_AQJRylbxaml8ptSrAvODH1IzEu3ed3rl1rWC6MtLwEXkhg&oe=6A9FC0C1)
![[TRIGGER WARNING] Pierre Damas Bel came to the United States to go to school. On Monday morning, the 20-year-old Haitian TPS holder was pronounced dead on Interstate 70 after he was struck by a semi-truck near South Vienna. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Springfield Post said troopers were called at 8:45 a.m. to the 66 mile marker of westbound I-70, near Ohio 54. Bel was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Bel was a recent graduate of Springfield High School, class of 2026. During his senior year he played soccer for the Wildcats as a forward and midfielder. After graduation, he was looking ahead to college sports.
On July 30, Bel wrote on Instagram that immigration authorities had placed a GPS monitor on his leg, and that the device had stripped him of the future he thought he was building.
“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.”
His father, Pierre Ronal Bel, told L’Union Suite in an interview Monday that the monitor went on his son’s left leg only a few weeks ago and that Pierre Damas was traumatized & depressed. The last conversation between father and son was at 8:03 a.m. Monday, 42 minutes before troopers were called to I-70.
Pierre Ronal said his son was sitting in a car and told him he was struggling. The father told him to come home so they could talk, sit together, eat, and work through it. Minutes later the phone cut off. He kept calling. He could not reach his son. Pierre Ronal said police told him today his son’s death was intentional but he’s having a hard time processing it all.
L’Union Suite has not independently confirmed the official manner of death. The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation is ongoing, & the truck driver has not been publicly identified.
What is not in dispute is the pressure Pierre Damas Bel was under. Rest In Peace Pierre. We extend our deepest condolences to Pierre Ronal & the Bel family. 💔🕊️#lunionsuite](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/791465591_18628778974023307_5387226456733816372_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=105&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=whjrJ2hUblEQ7kNvwFjAEfk&_nc_oc=AdrsWTqf5_hsM1nc0VeHJ6MmXKsSLhes1-cRGe-M87u2-p3mCw8_rb_tAgMWT7YHoO4&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=bCTdy6Mtwk2hpGguDjwi_g&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQJvTNw96Pq8zkXyinzEv-R8_DzLH9pqh0BgPI_01pRO_XogznKlVYgO6JNoSOy6qNDy_uFFQJCq&oh=00_AQJ6QG79sdzGi1S59xySu4d6Is7q5TSiBId5A3GrgbfnPg&oe=6A9FBA31)
![[TRIGGER WARNING] Pierre Damas Bel came to the United States to go to school. On Monday morning, the 20-year-old Haitian TPS holder was pronounced dead on Interstate 70 after he was struck by a semi-truck near South Vienna. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Springfield Post said troopers were called at 8:45 a.m. to the 66 mile marker of westbound I-70, near Ohio 54. Bel was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
Bel was a recent graduate of Springfield High School, class of 2026. During his senior year he played soccer for the Wildcats as a forward and midfielder. After graduation, he was looking ahead to college sports.
On July 30, Bel wrote on Instagram that immigration authorities had placed a GPS monitor on his leg, and that the device had stripped him of the future he thought he was building.
“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.”
His father, Pierre Ronal Bel, told L’Union Suite in an interview Monday that the monitor went on his son’s left leg only a few weeks ago and that Pierre Damas was traumatized & depressed. The last conversation between father and son was at 8:03 a.m. Monday, 42 minutes before troopers were called to I-70.
Pierre Ronal said his son was sitting in a car and told him he was struggling. The father told him to come home so they could talk, sit together, eat, and work through it. Minutes later the phone cut off. He kept calling. He could not reach his son. Pierre Ronal said police told him today his son’s death was intentional but he’s having a hard time processing it all.
L’Union Suite has not independently confirmed the official manner of death. The Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation is ongoing, & the truck driver has not been publicly identified.
What is not in dispute is the pressure Pierre Damas Bel was under. Rest In Peace Pierre. We extend our deepest condolences to Pierre Ronal & the Bel family. 💔🕊️#lunionsuite](https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/790318810_18628778992023307_8637302112049144962_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=101&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=KRhIZwO8LlYQ7kNvwGH2poC&_nc_oc=Adrk8jYvbokP_Ir0RSAOlh4HOpl5Vb2eVR0QC5TtsmO4fYYNvoLy_gZNvs7zSpH2EQk&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=bCTdy6Mtwk2hpGguDjwi_g&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQKRW3Sd-XHY-4wIexc39zM-5kBbMMI-p28EN2Ap502TkqlqZtZO9zvyK0Ah6ZPudRHnXndUL4sE&oh=00_AQKMS46g3AAhGH3HWqWtq3F_9-zCNY0hv-3ZnsiHJ-G7-Q&oe=6A9FE790)

