Nearly blind refugee was Tasered over a curtain rod, jailed for a year, then dumped at a coffee shop and left to die

Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old Rohingya refugee from Burma who was nearly blind and spoke no English, was found dead days after Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a coffee shop far from his home without telling his family. He had been missing since February 19, following his release from custody.

According to Investigative Post, City Hall spokesperson Ian Ott confirmed that Mr. Shah Alam was found by officers on the first block of Perry Street shortly after 8:30 PM on Tuesday. The Erie County Medical Examiner identified him and notified his family. 

His cause of death was determined to be “health related in nature,” ruling out both exposure and homicide, though homicide detectives are investigating the circumstances and timeline of events leading up to his death. Mr. Shah Alam had only arrived in Buffalo in December 2024. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Border Patrol’s account of the drop-off directly contradicts his known disabilities

Border Patrol agents picked up Mr. Shah Alam from the Erie County Holding Center at 4:39 PM on Thursday, February 19. His attorney, Benjamin Macaluso, said agents then dropped him off at a Tim Hortons on Niagara Street in the Black Rock neighborhood shortly after 8 PM that evening. 

This was about 5 miles from his family’s home in the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood on the East Side. Neither Macaluso nor Mr. Shah Alam’s family were told about the release. This is not the first time Border Patrol’s conduct has come under scrutiny; a Chicago vendor couple recently stood their ground during a Border Patrol raid in a widely covered incident.

A Border Patrol spokesperson later said agents determined Mr. Shah Alam wasn’t supposed to be in their custody. They said they “offered him a courtesy ride, which he chose to accept to a coffee shop.” The spokesperson added that the Tim Hortons was “determined to be a warm, safe location near his last known address, rather than be released directly from the Border Patrol station.” 

Macaluso eventually opened a missing persons case with Buffalo police on Sunday. The case was briefly closed on Monday by a detective who mistakenly believed Mr. Shah Alam was in ICE custody, but it was quickly reopened. Imran Fazel, an advocate for Rohingya refugees who knew the family, said he never imagined anyone would experience something like this after coming to the United States, and that it makes him feel unsafe.

Mr. Shah Alam had been released on bail following a plea deal with the Erie County District Attorney’s office. He pleaded guilty to trespassing and possession of a weapon, a curtain rod he used as a walking stick. The plea deal allowed him to clear an immigration detainer and avoid detention by ICE. 

His family had previously chosen not to bail him out of the Holding Center out of fear he would end up detained by ICE out of state. It is worth noting that a Border Patrol officer was recently sentenced for breaking immigration law, raising further questions about accountability within the agency.

His arrest had happened in February 2025 after he got lost on a walk in his neighborhood and ended up on a woman’s porch. When police arrived, and Mr. Shah Alam, who was nearly blind and could not understand English commands, did not drop the curtain rod, officers Tasered and beat him before arresting him. He was charged with assault, trespassing, and possession of a weapon.