Nearly blind refugee found dead in N.Y. after Border Patrol dropped him off

Officials in New York are demanding answers after a nearly blind refugee was found dead in Buffalo after he was dropped off at a coffee shop by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers last week.

Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, had been missing since Feb. 19 after he was left at the coffee shop a few miles from his home following his release from Erie County Jail.  The Buffalo Police Department said his body was found on a downtown street Tuesday night. MS NOW local affiliate WGRZ reported that investigators said Shah Alam died from natural causes.

Shah Alam came to the U.S from Myanmar in December 2024 and spoke minimal English. He was arrested in February of last year, the police report said.

According to the redacted report, Shah Alam was accused of trespassing into a woman’s yard in Buffalo’s Riverside neighborhood while holding two “long black poles,” damaging her shed door and injuring two police officers as he resisted arrest during the 2025 incident.

He was jailed on several charges, including two counts of menacing, two counts of assault with intent to cause injury to an officer and one count of possession of a weapon and trespassing.  

After Shah Alam’s arrest last year, a federal immigration detainer was issued, which is a formal notice that informs federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will assume custody of a person once they are released.

Shah Alam agreed to a plea deal on Feb. 9 and was scheduled to be sentenced on March 24. He was released from custody on bail this month. However, the Erie County district attorney’s office told MS NOW they were not notified that he had been released until after his death.

“At the time of the plea, it was our understanding and agreement with defense counsel that he would remain in custody on bail while pending sentence. Our office was not aware of his release until yesterday,” District Attorney Michael J. Keane said in the statement to MS NOW on Thursday.

He said his office would dismiss the charges after it receives Shah Alam’s death certificate. He said the office would review what happened “to determine whether any lessons can be learned to help prevent future tragedies.”

Police said the death remains under investigation.

A spokesperson for Customs and Border Patrol told MS NOW that they were alerted by the Buffalo Police Department last Thursday of a non-citizen in their custody who was being released. CBP then deemed Shah Alam could not be deported because of his refugee status before they picked him up and took him to a Tim Horton’s coffee shop.

“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 agency said. “He showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance. The U.S. Border Patrol defers to the Buffalo Police Department for further questions.”

Buffalo Mayor Sean M. Ryan called Shah Alam’s death “deeply disturbing” and said CBP needs to provide answers surrounding the incident.

“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,” Ryan said in a statement on Wednesday. “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.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, D, emphasized that the community deserves “answers and accountability.”

“We can secure our borders and still show basic humanity. CBP released a blind father from custody and left him to find his way home alone,” Hochul said in a social media post on Wednesday. “He never made it.”