Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old partially blind refugee from Myanmar, was found dead in Buffalo, New York, on February 24. The Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death a homicide, citing complications from a perforated duodenal ulcer precipitated by hypothermia and dehydration. Shah Alam had been released by U.S. Border Patrol five days earlier at a closed Tim Hortons location, where he was left despite the establishment being shut.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) disputed claims that Border Patrol was at fault, stating officers left Shah Alam in a safe, warm location and that he showed no signs of medical distress. However, Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan contested this, noting the doughnut shop was closed at the time.
Shah Alam had spent about a year in a local jail on felony charges before pleading guilty to misdemeanors. He was later detained by Border Patrol, which determined he was not eligible for deportation. He was reported missing on February 22 and found dead two days later.
Shah Alam was a member of the Rohingya ethnic minority, a persecuted group in Myanmar often denied citizenship. Human Rights Watch has described them as one of the largest stateless populations in the world.
Legal experts, including Bennett Gershman of Pace University, suggested that charges against Border Patrol agents may be difficult to pursue, though civil or administrative actions remain possible. New York officials have called for accountability in the case.