Cruel border patrol officers abandon blind and helpless refugee, leaving him to die in winter snowstorm

A refugee from Myanmar has been found dead in the streets of Buffalo after border patrol officers abandoned him on the other side of town from his home and failed to inform his family of his release. Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old who was nearly blind, was released from custody on Feb. 19, but was considered missing until his body was discovered on Tuesday.

The death of Shah Alam is currently being investigated by homicide detectives as per USA Today. Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan claimed that the vulnerable man’s death could have been prevented, claiming that it was the result of the poor decisions made by Customs and Border Protection, something we’re all no doubt used to hearing by now.

“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 added, “That decision from U.S. Customs and Border Protection was unprofessional and inhumane.”

What happened to Nurul Amin Shah Alam?

Shah Alam was arrested a year ago after an incident resulting in minor injuries to two police officers. His son, Mohamad Faisal, claimed that the arrest was due to a misunderstanding. Shah Alam had been using a curtain rod as a walking stick and found himself lost on a property in Buffalo, the police were called but as he did not understand English he didn’t hear police tell him to drop the rod.

After being brought into custody, an immigration detainer was issued by ICE which would have seen Shah Alam taken into their custody after his release from criminal detention.

Upon his release border agents quickly realized that they could not deport him as it was determined that he had entered the country as a refugee. According to a spokesperson for the CBP, he was released from custody and “Border Patrol agents offered him a courtesy ride, which he chose to accept.”

It was decided he would be taken to a coffee shop, “determined to be a warm, safe location near his last known address, rather than be released directly from the Border Patrol station,” he also allegedly “showed no signs of distress, mobility issues or disabilities requiring special assistance.”

The temperatures in the city were below freezing during that time. However, according to an article from CNN, an autopsy conducted by the Erie County Medical Examiner concluded that his death was health related with exposure and homicide being ruled out. Regardless, it’s clear that he should not have been left alone in the cold streets to die.