Mostly Blind Refugee Found Dead After Border Patrol Allegedly Dropped Him Off Miles From Home

Buffalo Police Department

A mostly blind refugee was found dead on Tuesday after Border Patrol agents allegedly dropped him off miles from home without notifying his family.

Nurul Amin Shah Alam had been missing since Thursday, after being released from the Erie County Holding Center that afternoon. Alam’s attorney, Benjamin Macaluso, told the Investigative Post that he had expected his client to be taken to an ICE detention center before his release.

Instead, Alam was allegedly dropped off by Border Patrol agents at a Tim Hortons about five miles from where he lived, who did not inform Macaluso or Alam’s family. His body was found five days later after law enforcement officers responded to a call about a dead body.

Alam, a refugee from Myanmar, was mostly blind and unable to communicate in English, according to Macaluso and a missing person poster given out by his family. He had multiple health problems and was unable to use a phone.

Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan (D) released a blistering statement on Wednesday, calling Alam’s death “preventable” and blaming CBP for “unprofessional and inhumane” actions surrounding his release:

The preventable death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam is deeply disturbing and a dereliction of duty by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 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 U.S. Customs and Border Protection was unprofessional and inhumane. U.S. Customs and Border Protection must answer for how and why this happened. Buffalo is a city that welcomes refugees and believes government should protect human dignity, not endanger it. U.S. Customs and Border Protection failed that basic standard.

City Hall spokesperson Ian Ott told the Investigative Post that detectives “are investigating the circumstances and timeframe of events leading up to his death, following his release from custody.”

The Erie County Sheriff’s Office claimed officers followed proper procedure in Alam’s release. An autopsy found the cause of death to be health-related, according to police.

Customs and Border Protection has yet to comment on the event

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