NY - A blind 56-year-old Buffalo man who went missing after Border Patrol dropped him 5 miles from home, February 19 2026, has been found dead

[marble]

From the Guardian:

"A nearly blind Burmese refugee who was abandoned by border patrol agents has been found dead in Buffalo, New York, city officials confirmed.
Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, had been missing since 19 February, when he was dropped off by border patrol following his release from Erie county holding center, according to the Investigative Post."

Nurul Amin Shah Alam had been in the Erie county holding center for a year since he was arrested for ending up on a woman's porch after getting lost on a walk and refusing to relinquish the curtain rod he uses as a cane when police showed up.

Border patrol dropped him off at a Buffalo Tim Hortons at 8:00 PM 5 miles from his home on February 19 and they never alerted his family or his lawyer of his release. In addition to being almost completely blind, he had trouble walking without a cane, can't use a phone, and spoke no English. The temperatures in Buffalo have been below freezing all week. His lawyer and family searched for him Friday and Saturday without luck and then opened a missing person's case on Sunday.

He leaves behind a wife and two sons.

 

[songbrd]

Missing blind man found dead in Buffalo

Buffalo homicide detectives are investigating the circumstances being the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, whose body was found after he went missing following his release from Border Patrol custody.

www.wxxinews.org

 

[kaen]

Oh dear G-d! This poor man. It is barbaric to leave a person in that weather at a business--knowing that he was so defenseless. The officers should be charged. JMHO.

 

[songbrd]

Statement from Mayor Sean M. Ryan on Death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam • Buffalo, NY

www.buffalony.gov

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.

 

[songbrd]

Near-blind refugee found dead in Buffalo after release by Border Patrol

A refugee who was almost blind died on the downtown streets of Buffalo, New York, after the U.S. Border Patrol dropped him off at a coffee shop.

eu.usatoday.com

Mohamad Faisal, one of Shah Alam's children, said in a text message that his father's arrest a year ago was due to a misunderstanding with police officers.

Shah Alam, who did not speak English, had been out for a walk and had been using a curtain rod he purchased as a walking stick, Faisal said.

Shah Alam got lost and walked onto the property of a Buffalo resident who called the police, Faisal said. When Shah Alam did not understand police commands to drop his curtain rod, they arrested him, his son said.

Upon his release last week, "Nobody told me or my family or attorney where my dad was dropped off," Faisal said.

Shah Alam did not read, write or use electronic devices, Faisal said.

Shah Alam only wanted to "eat home-cooked food" and "be united with the rest of [his] family," Faisal said.

The family are Arakan Rohingya refugees, he said.

 

[Twick]

They are murderers.

 

[Strangeworld]

Held for a year and then discarded on the street for a ridiculous charge? Could the homeowner not detect Shah's limitations - I doubt he appeared intimidating or a threat.

What is happening in the US? I feel like everyday there's some new shocking report about how abhorently people from all walks of life are being treated.

 

[scapa]

This is so horrendously, pointlessly awful and sad. And wrong.

Titular line from a brilliant Atlantic article a while back now comes to mind: "The cruelty is the point."

The only point, in this case.

[May be paywalled for some]

EDIT: Deleted article due to political content -- though the key point is less a political than a wider ethical/ moral one

 

[tlcya]

This makes me so sad. We keep hearing about people being detained and then released in the most random places. I do believe this behavior is intentional and the intention is cruelty. It reminds me of people who dump animals. "Welp, done with them, drop them off somewhere and be done with it"

 

[GatorsNorth]

MOO, this case is especially egregious because Shah was essentially helpless. He was blind, he didn’t speak English or know how to read or write, and he used a curtain rod as a walking stick.

I hope those officers are arrested and charged with murder, because they handed the victim a death sentence. MOO

 

[sds71]

We obtained footage showing a man who appeared to be refugee Nurul Amin Shah Alam being dropped off by Border Patrol outside a Buffalo coffee shop after 8pm. The shop locks its door at 7pm. He never made it inside, and was found dead five days later:

https://twitter.com/x/status/2027180575920918623

This video, taken from the drive-thru of a Tim Hortons coffee shop, shows a man from an unmarked white van unloading the person who appears to be Shah Alam before driving away. The person is wearing clothes that match those Shah Alam was wearing when arrested a year prior.

This video shows Shah Alam, visible wearing what Mayor Sean Ryan described as orange jail booties, walk to the Tim Hortons front door, pause, and walk away. An employee told us today that they look the doors at 7pm every night. The time was 8:19pm.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2027182872075903351

 

[sds71]

Buffalo Police also today released body cam footage showing Shah Alam's underlying February 15, 2025, arrest, which was the reason for his immigration detainer. Shah Alam, who is nearly blind and doesn't speak English, had gotten lost and entered a stranger's backyard and was using curtain rods as walking sticks, his attorney told
@ipostnews. The woman called police, who tased and tackled Shah Alam.

In the footage, Shah Alam can be heard speaking in Rohingya and Malay. He asks for God’s help and tries to explain to the uncomprehending officers that he lives nearby and was going to the store. He pleads with the officers not to throw away his phone.

Shah Alam was booked on a felony and six misdemeanors, which a grand jury then indicted as felony assault, burglary and criminal mischief charges, and he was arraigned in June. Border Patrol issued a detainer on him on the grounds that he was deportable.

Shah Alam's sentencing was set for March 24, and his family posted bond on February 19. Rather than being transferred to ICE and then released, as his attorney reportedly expected, the Erie County Sheriff's Office release Shah Alam to Border Patrol per his original detainer.

After taking custody of Shah Alam, Border Patrol appears to have decided or realized that, as a Rohingya refugee (whose immigration to the US was facilitated by Jewish Family Services of Western New York), he was "not amenable to removal."

https://twitter.com/x/status/2027188289451503821