Near-blind Rohingya refugee found dead after US border agents release him out in cold
Buffalo Mayor Sean Rhyan blamed Shah Alam’s death on ‘unprofessional and inhumane’ decision making by federal immigration officials
Police officers in the upstate New York city located the body of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, on Tuesday evening, the Buffalo Police Department said.
Shah Alam had been missing since February 19, when US Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a coffee shop miles from his home following his release from a county jail, where he had spent much of the last year awaiting trial on criminal charges that resulted in a misdemeanour plea deal.
Homicide detectives are investigating the circumstances of Shah Alam’s death.
Buffalo Mayor Sean Rhyan, a Democrat, said in a statement on Wednesday that Shah Alam’s death was preventable and the result of “inhumane” decision making by federal immigration authorities.
“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,” Ryan said. “That decision from US Customs and Border Protection was unprofessional and inhumane.”