A nearly blind refugee who went missing a week after Border Patrol agents left him at a coffee shop was found dead in Buffalo, New York as freezing temperatures and blizzard conditions struck the East Coast.
Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old Rohingya refugee from Myanmar, disappeared February 19 after officers dropped him off at a Tim Horton’s coffee shop on Niagara Street.
His body was discovered Tuesday night. Homicide detectives are investigating events leading up to his death following his release from law enforcement custody last week.
Alam experienced serious medical conditions and did not speak English. His cause of death was determined to be health-related. He is survived by his wife and two children.
His death follows growing scrutiny into in-custody deaths under immigration authorities and allegations of abuse and mistreatment of refugees and other immigrants pursued by Donald Trump’s administration.
Shah Alam arrived in Buffalo in December 2024 but spent the last year locked up in a local jail.
He was arrested last year following an incident in which he became disoriented during a walk and ended up on a woman’s porch while using a curtain rod as a makeshift walking cane, according to police.
Shah Alam is completely blind in one eye and can only see with blurry vision for several feet in the other, according to lawyers with Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo.
When Shah Alam did not follow police commands to drop his curtain rod, officers Tasered and beat him, according to Legal Aid.
Two Buffalo Police officers were injured during the incident, according to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office.
He was arraigned in Buffalo City Court and held on bail set at $25,000 cash or bond. A federal immigration detainer was issued after his arrest, which alerted federal authorities to his detention, according to the district attorney’s office.
A grand jury later indicted him on felony assault, burglary and criminal mischief charges. His bail was modified to $5,000 cash or bond at his arraignment on the indictment in June 2025, though he remained inside the local jail.
Earlier this month, Shah Alam agreed to plead guilty to reduced charges of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree and one count of criminal trespass in the third degree.
His bail was continued at $5,000 cash or bond, and his sentencing was scheduled for March 24. The district attorney’s office is now moving to dismiss the charges.
But Keane said his office was not aware that Shah Alam was released from jail.
The Erie County Sheriff’s Department alerted Border Patrol that Shah Alam was in their custody on February 19, according to Customs and Border Protection.
Shah Alam was protected against removal from the country, though agents offered him a “courtesy ride” to a Tim Horton’s coffee shop, which was “determined to be a warm, safe location near his last known address,” according to the agency.
He showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance, the agency said in a statement.
His family was not contacted, and he never made it home. His family reported him missing two days later.
Buffalo Police said a detective on the missing persons case temporarily closed it after mistakenly believing Shah Alam was in immigration enforcement’s custody.
“I recognize the desire for answers sought by his family, friends and our community as his death remains under investigation,” Keane said in a statement.
Governor Kathy Hochul said “New Yorkers deserve answers and accountability” after Shah Alam’s death.
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“Since the United States has officially recognized the violence against the Rohingya as genocide, there is a clear expectation that survivors seeking refuge will be treated with dignity and protection,” said Nay San Lwin, co-chair of the Buffalo-based Arakan Rohingya National Council, an advocacy group that is working with Shah Alam’s family.
“Leaving a vulnerable individual — who is visually impaired and faces significant language barriers — unsupported in extreme weather is a serious failure of duty,” Lwin told The Independent. “We call for immediate accountability for the officers’ actions. To prevent further suffering among the refugee community, justice must be served without delay.”
Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition, noted that Shah Alam’s family is not planning his funeral during Ramadan.
“When he was released from jail and turned over to Border Patrol, agents treated Alam as disposable,” Awawdeh said. “This inept and negligent action resulted in a man’s death – a wife left without her husband, and kids left without their father.”
