SEPTEMBER 1, 2026
Contact: info@haitianbridge.org, media@haitianbridge.org   

 SAN DIEGO, CA  — The Haitian Bridge Alliance mourns the tragic death of Pierre Damas Bel, a brilliant 20-year-old immigrant from the Republic of Haiti and Wright State University student, whose death comes amid the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for roughly 350k Haitians nationals and more than a million other nationals whose countries are facing severe humanitarian and security crises. Bel had reportedly been placed under electronic monitoring by U.S. immigration authorities and had spoken publicly about the fear, shame, bullying, and emotional distress he experienced while wearing an ankle monitor.

“Pierre Damas Bel’s death should shake the conscience of this country. We cannot continue to pretend that immigration policies exist in a vacuum. When this administration strips Haitians of protection, subjects them to surveillance and intimidation, and tells people that they are no longer welcome, there are human consequences. We refuse to accept a system that treats Black and Haitian immigrants as disposable. The termination of TPS is not simply a policy decision—it is an act that places families in fear and uncertainty and threatens their ability to live with dignity. Pierre’s death demands that we confront the cruelty embedded in our immigration system and demand accountability from those who continue to advance these policies despite the devastating consequences.” — Guerline Jozef, Executive Director, Haitian Bridge Alliance

The Haitian Bridge Alliance continues to call on the Senate to swiftly schedule a vote on H.R. 1689, a bill to designate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which allows nationals from designated countries facing life-threatening conditions to temporarily live and work legally in the United States. We thank Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.) and their colleagues for leading this effort in the Senate. In the interim HBA will continue its robust federal legislative advocacy on behalf of Haitian TPS holders.

ABOUT HAITIAN BRIDGE ALLIANCE

Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA), also known as “The Bridge”, is a grassroots community organization that advocates for fair and humane immigration policies, foreign policy, and provides migrants and immigrants with humanitarian, legal, and social services, with a particular focus on Black migrants, the Haitian community, women and girls, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and survivors of torture and other human rights abuses. HBA also seeks to elevate the issues unique to Black migrants and builds solidarity and collective movement toward policy change. Anpil men chay pa lou (“Many hands make the load light”). Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook: @haitianbridge