The dying of a almost blind refugee in Buffalo, New York, days after Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a coffee shop alone, has prompted an investigation into the circumstances of his last days and drawn sharp criticism from the mayor, who referred to as the incident “deeply disturbing.”
Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, who spoke little English, had been lacking since February 19, when the agents left him at the shop shortly after he was launched from the Erie County jail, officials mentioned. His physique was found 5 days later, round 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, about 4 miles from the coffee shop, the Buffalo Police Department mentioned.
“Homicide detectives are investigating the circumstances and timeframe of events leading up to his death, following his release from custody,” the police division mentioned in a assertion.
The Erie County Medical Examiner carried out an post-mortem and decided Shah Alam’s reason for dying was well being‑associated. Exposure and murder have been dominated out, Buffalo metropolis spokesperson Nick Beiling mentioned.
“A vulnerable man – nearly blind and unable to speak English – was left alone on a cold winter night with no known attempt to leave him in a safe, secure location. That decision from US Customs and Border Protection was unprofessional and inhumane,” Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan mentioned Wednesday, calling Shah Alam’s dying “preventable,” and insisting CBP “answer for how and why this happened.”
Shah Alam, a refugee from Myanmar, had spent a lot of the earlier yr in custody awaiting trial on legal fees that had been in the end resolved with a misdemeanor plea deal, in line with Reuters.
As Shah Alam’s discharge from jail was being processed, deputies notified US Border Patrol, which had earlier positioned him underneath an immigration detainer, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office mentioned in a assertion.
“U.S. Border Patrol arrived at the Holding Center prior to the finalization of Mr. Shah Alam’s release from Erie County Sheriff’s Office custody,” the assertion mentioned.
A spokesperson for CBP mentioned the agents later decided Shah Alam had entered the United States as a refugee on December 24, 2024, and “was not amenable to removal.”
“Border Patrol agents offered him a courtesy ride, which he chose to accept to a coffee shop, determined to be a warm, safe location near his last known address, rather than be released directly from the Border Patrol station,” the assertion mentioned. “He showed no signs of distress, mobility issues or disabilities requiring special assistance.”
Shah Alam’s February 2025 arrest stemmed from what one in every of his kids described to Reuters as a misunderstanding with police.
Shah Alam had been out for a stroll and was utilizing a curtain rod as a strolling stick when he bought misplaced and wandered onto personal property, his son Mohamad Faisal mentioned. When he didn’t perceive officers’ instructions to drop the rod, Shah Alam was arrested.
A police report obtained by NCS affiliate WGRZ confirmed Shah Alam was being held on two counts of assault with intent to trigger damage to an officer, a depend of possession of a weapon and trespassing, amongst different fees, earlier than a plea deal was reached.
NCS reached out to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office for added data.
“Nobody told me or my family or attorney where my dad was dropped off,” Faisal advised Reuters of his father’s launch, including that his father didn’t learn, write or use digital units.
The household are Arakan Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, he mentioned, referring to the stateless Muslim minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine state. Hundreds of 1000’s of Rohingya have fled the war-torn country since late 2016 following a brutal crackdown by the navy junta that the US has since declared a genocide.
Shah Alam solely needed to “eat home-cooked food” and “be united with the rest of (his) family,” Faisal advised Reuters.