After Haitian student’s death, family points to ICE ankle monitor: Capitol Letter

Ohio PoliticsHaitian college student Pierre Damas Bel, 20, took his own life on Interstate 70 after being bullied for wearing an ICE ankle monitor, according to his family and community advocates.Bel FamilyBy Mary Frances McGowan, cleveland.comRotunda Rumblings“Horrible, horrible tragedy”: A young Haitian immigrant who recently enrolled at Wright State University died by suicide Monday after telling his father he was struggling with bullying over an ankle monitor he was required to wear by federal immigration officials, according to his family, Anna Staver reports. Pierre Damas Bel’s death is drawing new scrutiny to the use of ankle monitors on Haitian immigrants in Ohio, as the Trump administration steps up immigration enforcement against Haitians in Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday called Pierre’s death a “horrible, horrible tragedy” and used it to renew his criticism of the Trump administration’s deportation policies.Rural Rx boost: Ohio is getting $3.15 million in federal Rural Health Transformation Program money to improve pharmacy connectivity across the state’s 73 rural counties, Sabrina Eaton writes. The funding will give rural pharmacists better access to patient medical records and Ohio’s prescription drug monitoring system, with the goal of improving medication management and preventing dangerous drug interactions and controlled-substance abuse. New navigator program: DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff announced a new state program which will help families navigate pediatric cancer diagnoses by providing them with a point of contact to help them find doctors, navigate insurance questions, access medication support and connect with other resources, Mary Frances McGowan reports. The state officials were joined by Jay and Cassie Zurlinden of West Chester, who recently lost their son Jayden to bone cancer.Ohio gets $3.15M from feds to fight drug fraud and improve rural pharmacy care Signs go up on I-480 honoring slain Euclid police officer Jacob DerbinOhio launches new program to help families navigate pediatric cancer careRoute of honor: Signs have gone up along part of Interstate 480 in Cuyahoga County naming the section of roadway in honor of fallen Euclid police officer Jacob Derbin, who was killed in a 2024 ambush. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, the Brooklyn Heights native grew up near the stretch of I-480 between Lancaster Road and Interstate 77 now known as the Officer Jacob J. Derbin Memorial Highway. Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation in June approving the tribute.Head of the class: A second-grade teacher in Reynoldsburg, outside Columbus, was named 2027 Ohio Teacher of the Year. Taya Kidd’s teaching philosophy involves a lot of unconventional learning, such as dancing or working with glow-in-the-dark materials, in an attempt to help students deeply grasp information, Laura Hancock reports.Olive branch: Vice President JD Vance made a pitch for peace with skeptical pro-Israel Republicans Monday, telling a closed-door Republican Jewish Coalition gathering in Las Vegas that the GOP needs to better explain why the U.S.-Israel relationship serves American interests, particularly to younger voters, Politico writes. The Cincinnati Republican also condemned antisemitism and won several standing ovations, suggesting his effort to shore up support among Jewish Republican donors ahead of a possible 2028 presidential bid may be gaining traction.No love lost: Vance went after Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in unusually blunt terms Monday, calling him “very, very evil” and telling him to “keep my wife’s name the hell out of your mouth,” The New York Times reports. Vance was campaigning for Republican Mike Rogers in a Senate race that could help determine control of the chamber, while also accusing El-Sayed, an outspoken critic of Israel, of stoking racial and religious divisions.Lobbying LineupFive organizations that were registered to lobby on Senate Bill 42 through April, which would authorize local governments to create residential stability zones where homeowners may qualify for a partial property tax exemption.1. Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio2. Cleveland Neighborhood Progress3. Coalition on Homelessness & Housing in Ohio4. Greater Ohio Policy Center5. Ohio Chamber of Commerce BirthdaysEx-state Rep. Randi ClitesState Rep. Phil PlummerRiley Eberhart, legislative affairs manager, Ohio Department of DevelopmentStraight from the Source“...I’m told, by those who knew him, he had great dreams about what he could do in this country, and what he could contribute to this country. I think we have to ask ourselves, is it really good? Is it what we want done, to see people like this, being picked up and facing deportation? Do we want that being done in our name?”-Gov. Mike DeWine, criticizing the Trump administration’s mass deportation policies in light of the death of Pierre Damas Bel, a young Haitian immigrant enrolled at Wright State University who died by suicide Monday after telling his father he was struggling with bullying over an ankle monitor that federal immigration officials required him to wear, according to his family. Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. Subscribe to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.Mary Frances McGowan is a statehouse reporter for Cleveland.com covering politics and policy with a focus on heath policy, abortion and reproductive health policy, LGBTQ issues, cannabis policy and Cuyahoga...