MAGA pundit appears to blame Haitian immigrant for endangering Americans — by taking his own life

A MAGA pundit appeared to blame a Haitian immigrant for endangering the lives of Americans on the road when he reportedly took his own life by walking into traffic.

The family of Pierre Damas Bel says the 20-year-old college student died by suicide when he walked into traffic on Interstate 70 in Springfield, Ohio, Monday morning. His death follows a Supreme Court ruling in June that allowed the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians.

Bel, a college soccer player, was “bullied” and called a “criminal” by students at Wright State over a requirement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that he wear an ankle monitor, according to a family statement, the Springfield News-Sun reports.

The report prompted a heated debate during CNN’s NewsNight with Abby Phillip on Tuesday, whose guests included conservative reporter Brianna Lyman, progressive pundit Leigh McGowan, and The Atlantic’s Jemele Hill.

As the guests bickered and spoke over one another, Lyman, a reporter for the conservative publication The Federalist, appeared to suggest that Bel had risked the lives of American drivers when he walked into traffic, bringing the conversation to a stunned pause.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said that Bel was killed after being hit by a tractor-trailer after exiting his vehicle and walking into westbound traffic. The investigation into his death is ongoing.

“And also he walked into traffic,” Lyman said. “Do you know the accident he could have caused for Americans driving?”

“So you’re blaming the dude that’s not here?” Hill responded incredulously.

Lyman then claimed there was “no proof” that Bel took his own life “because of his ankle monitor.”

Phillip attempted to rein the pundits in and stressed to Lyman, “What I said was that his family believes that the humiliation that he experienced. He’s 20 years old.”

“Let’s have a little humanity in the situation writ large, right?” Phillip added.

“We have,” Lyman replied. “We’ve offered them money to self-voluntarily deport.”

Earlier, Lyman and McGowan clashed after the MAGA commentator brought up the recent case of Massachusetts woman Brianna Connolly, allegedly killed by an undocumented immigrant.

“Oh my God, this is so exhausting,” McGowan complained.

“It’s exhausting for you because your daughter wasn’t the one strangled,” Lyman hit back.

Bel’s death has prompted outcry over the Trump administration’s immigration policies and the decision to end temporary protected status for approximately 350,000 Haitians permitted to live and work in the U.S.

People are being sent back to a country ravaged by violence and in the midst of a severe political and humanitarian crisis.

“These policies are what caused his untimely death,” Guerline Jozef of the Haitian Bridge Alliance nonprofit told The Washington Post.

The Department of Homeland Security has pushed back against that claim.

“We will NOT speculate about unverified claims regarding illegal aliens,” a ICE spokesperson told The Independent. “Any attempt to blame ICE for the death of Pierre Damas Bel are FALSE.”

The spokesperson said the agency was notified of Bel’s death by the Ohio State Highway Patrol and it remain under investigation.

“On March 5, 2024, Bel was released into the United States by the Biden administrations [sic] disastrous CBP One app. On July 29, 2026, ICE placed him on alternatives to detention program with an ankle monitor while he continued in his immigration proceedings,” the spokesperson said, adding that “no one is required to stay in the United States illegally,” and can self-deport.

The student had been in the U.S. since 2024 to join his parents who had left Haiti three years prior, according to the Post. He reportedly entered the country through the CBP One app established by the Biden administration. Bel’s family was granted temporary protected status and they settled into their new life in Springfield.

Bel reportedly had a pending asylum claim but was ordered to go to an ICE office after the Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration to cancel temporary protected status for Haiti. Agents made Bel wear an electronic ankle bracelet, for which he was ridiculed by his peers at school, his family said.

“After my son was outfitted with an ankle monitor, he felt like he was treated like an animal,” Pierre Ronal Bel said in statement read aloud by Pastor Carl Ruby at a press conference on Monday.

“He took two trips to Cincinnati and Westerville to plead the officers to remove the bracelet since he’s a soccer player and he felt embarrassed and humiliated,” the statement continued. “When he’s among his classmates at the university — he’s a student at Wright State — he was bullied a lot with a lot of people telling him he’s a criminal.”

The father said that Bel called him at 8:03 that morning and told him, “Dad, I’m not feeling OK. I’m not thinking right.” He said he told his son to come home so that they could talk.

“Around 11 o’clock, police showed up at my door to report that my son had thrown himself under a truck,” he said.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In the UK, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI) or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you