As Springfield prepares to bury Haitian student, sympathy surges and deportations continue

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(RNS) — As many as 1,000 people are expected Saturday (Oct. 3) at the funeral of Pierre Damas Bel, a Haitian college student from Springfield, Ohio, who, his family says, died by suicide weeks after ICE outfitted him with an ankle monitor. His death has galvanized support for the Haitian community, drawing discussion at a Senate forum and a John Legend-backed fundraiser that brought in more than $260,000 — even as deportations continue and neo-Nazis march on Springfield’s streets.

“He should have had so much life ahead of him. Instead, his family is grieving him,” said award-winning musician John Legend, who is from Springfield, via video at a Friday fundraiser for the Haitian Support Center, a Springfield nonprofit. “To Pierre’s father, his family, his friends, his teammates, his teachers, I send you my love tonight.”

The Wright State University student was an aspiring doctor and graduate of Springfield High School, where he was an honors scholar, soccer co-captain and JROTC cadet. He and his family had Temporary Protected Status, which allowed recipients from the gang-afflicted country to…