Death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam

Death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam
DateFebruary 24, 2026 (2026-02-24)
LocationBuffalo, New York

On February 24, 2026, Nurul Amin Shah Alam (born January 1, 1970),[1] a blind 56-year-old Rohingya refugee, was found dead five days after being dropped off near a Tim Hortons by United States Border Patrol agents in Buffalo, New York.[2]

Background

Originally from Myanmar, Shah Alam previously worked in construction in Malaysia.[3] He came to the United States with his wife and two of his children in December 2024 "in search of opportunity for his family".[3] The family are Arakan Rohingya[4] and have legal refugee status.[3] He spoke little English, did not read, write, or use electronics,[4] and used a cane to walk.[3][5]

On February 15, 2025, Shah Alam was arrested by Buffalo police. According to police documents, Shah Alam "unlawfully entered a fenced rear yard" while holding "two long black poles."[1] Police body cam footage shows police officers repeatedly telling him to drop the poles to the ground.[6] Shah Alam holds his hand out to the police and then swings the poles in the air, which the police interpret as the use of weapons,[7] and they respond by shooting their tasers, tackling him to the ground, and handcuffing him.[6] In the process Shah Alam is hit in the head several times.[7] According to the police report, Shah Alam bit the officers in the scuffle.[6] Afterwards, the officers are unable to communicate with him because of the language barrier and he can be heard repeating "OK" and "I love you" from the back of an ambulance as he is taken to Erie County Medical Center.[6] Officers can be heard stating they felt threatened and that they nearly pulled their gun on him.[7] Police records show he was arrested on assault charges.[1]

According to Shah Alam's family, the event was a misunderstanding; Shah Alam had become lost, was using a curtain rod as a walking stick, and did not respond to police because he did not understand English.[4] He was held at the Erie County Holding Center for the next year, until he was released to federal authorities on February 19, 2026.[1] According to the family's attorney, the family did not post bail during this time because they were afraid that if they posted bail, Shah Alam would be released to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and deported from the country.[7] Originally being held for trial, he was released after agreeing to a misdemeanor plea deal, which would have made him ineligible for removal by ICE, according to Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane.[5][7]

Death

According to reports received by the Buffalo Police Department, was released from Erie County Holding Center on February 19, 2026, to federal authorities around 4:30 pm.[1] U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) later told media that Shah Alam chose to accept a "courtesy ride" to a Tim Hortons location in the Black Rock neighborhood, rather than be directly released from the holding center. A CBP spokesperson, Michael Niezgoda, said Shah Alam was released at what was "determined to be a warm, safe location" and "showed no signs of distress, mobility issues or disabilities requiring special assistance".[5][2] Surveillance footage shows Shah Alam being brought out of the Border Patrol van near the drive-thru window around 8:18 pm, when only the drive-thru was open. The footage shows him pacing in front of the locked doors, and eventually walking through the parking lot away from the building.[7]

Expecting to be able to pick up Shah Alam from Erie County Holding Center on February 19, his family and his lawyer began a search for him which included the neighborhood Shah Alam lived in when he was detained, and the federal detention center in Batavia, where it was thought Immigration and Customs Enforcement may have been detaining him.[7]

Unable to locate him, Shah Alam's attorney filed a missing persons report on February 22, after federal authorities did not provide him with information on Shah Alam's location.[1] Special Victims Unit detective Richard Hy opened an investigation on February 23.[8] He closed the investigation around noon after "information was obtained that led the detective to believe that the missing person was in the custody of federal authorities"; however, he reopened the case later that afternoon. Outreach to family and neighbors and searches of shelters, hospitals, and the general area were carried out on February 24.[1] At 8:29 pm on February 24, a woman placed a 911 call reporting an unmoving man on Perry Street after seeing him alive there earlier that day around 5:30 pm; the man, identified as Shah Alam on February 25, was pronounced deceased by authorities on scene.[1]

Shah Alam's funeral was held at a local mosque, Masjid Zakariya, on February 26, 2026.[5] The New York Medical Examiner's Office has not released their final report regarding his cause of death.[9]

Reactions

The death of Shah Alam sparked multiple responses from local authorities. Buffalo Mayor Sean M. Ryan called the death "deeply disturbing and a dereliction of duty by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection," and said that "U.S. Customs and Border Protection must answer for how and why this happened".[10] The Buffalo Police Department announced an investigation into Shah Alam's death.[5] New York Governor Kathy Hochul[3] and congressman Tim Kennedy (26th district) both called for a full investigation.[11][12] New York Attorney General Letitia James made a statement in which she said her office "is reviewing our legal options".[5]

Responses from other elected officials calling for accountability in the incident included U.S. senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand,[13] and U.S. representative Grace Meng.[14]

Several protests were held in response. On February 28, there was a protest called Rally for Justice at Niagara Square in front of Buffalo City Hall. Demonstrators called for a transparent investigation of the actions of Border Patrol and Erie County Sheriff's Office and advocated for the passage of the New York for All Act, which would prevent local governments or law enforcement from directly supporting federal agencies conducting civil immigration enforcement activities.[15]

At a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on March 3, California senator Alex Padilla accused Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, of lying about the case and told Noem that she should resign, the president should fire her, or that the senate should impeach her.[16] On March 4, during a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing representative New York representative Jerry Nadler and Maryland representative Jamie Raskin questioned and criticized Noem over the department's handling of the case. Separately, Tim Kennedy called for Noem to investigate the events surrounding Shah Alam's death on the house floor.[16] On March 5, Noem was fired by the president, in part due to criticism of the department's handling of the deaths of Renée Good, Alex Pretti, and Shah Alam.[17]

Kathy Hochul met with Shah Alam's widow, Fatimah Abdul-Roshid, who asked for help reuinifying with her sons who were in Malaysia. Hochul subsequently met with border czar Tom Homan to advocate for the request.[18] Hochul also put pressure on the legislature to quickly pass a proposed law that would provide a basis for New Yorkers to sue federal agents who violate their constitutional rights.[19][18]

Investigations

On March 6, New York Attorney General Letitia James responded to representative Tim Kennedy's request to investigate the case.[18] Erie County Sheriff's Office indicated that they were complying with requests from James's office to provide documentation regarding the case while the Buffalo Police Department and Erie County District Attorney's Office both stated they were assisting in the investigation.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h City of Buffalo Police Department (February 26, 2026). "Buffalo Police Incident Timeline of Shah Alam Death". Retrieved February 27, 2026 – via documentcloud.org.
  2. ^ a b Shoemaker, J. Dale (February 25, 2026). "Blind refugee abandoned by Border Patrol dies in Buffalo". Investigative Post. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Officials demand answers after disabled refugee is found dead in Buffalo". Spectrum News 1. February 26, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  4. ^ a b c Wolfe, Jan; Cooke, Kristina (February 25, 2026). "Near-blind refugee found dead in Buffalo after release by US Border Patrol". Reuters.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Park, Hanna; Ebrahimji, Alisha; Hammond, Elise (February 26, 2026). "Nearly blind refugee found dead in New York days after immigration agents dropped him at a coffee shop alone, officials say". CNN. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  6. ^ a b c d Gallagher, Tommy (February 26, 2026). "Police video reveals tense arrest of refugee recently found dead in Buffalo". wgrz.com. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Shoemaker, J. Dale; Smith-Perez, Adam (February 27, 2026). "Retracing the final year of Burmese refugee who died in Buffalo". Investigative Post. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  8. ^ Shoemaker, J. Dale (February 24, 2026). "Border Patrol dumped a blind man at a Buffalo donut shop". Investigative Post. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  9. ^ ""Nearly blind" refugee found dead in Buffalo after Border Patrol release, mayor says". CBS News. February 27, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  10. ^ Ryan, Sean M. (February 25, 2026). "Statement from Mayor Sean M. Ryan on Death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam". www.buffalony.gov. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  11. ^ Kennedy, Timothy M. (February 25, 2026). "Statement from Congressman Kennedy on Death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam". U.S. Congressman Timothy M. Kennedy. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  12. ^ "Congressman Kennedy Formally Requests State Investigation into the Death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam". U.S. Congressman Timothy M. Kennedy. February 26, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  13. ^ Hill, Michael; Offenhartz, Jake (February 26, 2026). "A nearly blind refugee is found dead after Border Patrol agents drop him at Buffalo doughnut shop". AP News. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  14. ^ Shoemaker, J. Dale (February 26, 2026). "Leaders call for Border Patrol probe following Shah Alam death". Investigative Post. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  15. ^ Staff, WKBW News (March 1, 2026). "Rally for justice in Buffalo following death of refugee Nurul Amin Shah Alam". WKBW 7 News Buffalo. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  16. ^ a b Shoemaker, J. Dale (March 5, 2026). "Congress questions Noem on death of Buffalo refugee left in cold". Investigative Post. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  17. ^ Bender, Maggie; Haberman, Hamed; Aleaziz, Michael C; Gold, Michael (March 5, 2026). "Trump Announces He Is Replacing Noem With Oklahoma Senator". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  18. ^ a b c d Shoemaker, J. Dale (March 6, 2026). "New York AG James investigating death of blind refugee Shah Alam". Investigative Post. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  19. ^ Lisa, Kate (February 11, 2026). "Lawmakers, Hochul negotiating proposal to sue federal officials". City & State NY. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
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