Nearly Blind Refugee Found Dead After Border Patrol Release

Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old nearly blind Rohingya refugee from Myanmar, was found dead on a downtown Buffalo street five days after U.S. Border Patrol agents released him from custody and left him at a Tim Hortons location about five miles from his home. The discovery has prompted a homicide investigation by Buffalo police and drawn sharp criticism from local officials over the circumstances of his release.

Buffalo police officers responded to a report of a body on the first block of Perry Street shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, where they identified Shah Alam, who had been missing since his release on February 19. City Hall spokesperson Ian Ott confirmed the details, noting that homicide detectives are examining the events leading to his death, including the timeframe and conditions following his transfer to Border Patrol custody.

Shah Alam, who spoke little English and relied on a walking stick for navigation, had been detained for nearly a year at the Erie County Holding Center after an arrest in early 2024. The incident began when he became disoriented during a walk in his Black Rock neighborhood amid cold weather and ended up on the porch of a stranger's home....