Homicide Detectives Investigate Death of Nearly Blind Rohingya Refugee in Buffalo

Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, a nearly blind Rohingya refugee who spoke little English, was found dead on a downtown Buffalo street near the arena on Feb. 24, city police said. Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan called the decision by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to leave Shah Alam alone on a cold winter night “unprofessional and inhumane,” and said the death was preventable.

Shah Alam was released from the Erie County jail on Feb. 19 and taken into Border Patrol custody the same day after federal authorities determined he was not legally deportable because he had entered the United States as a refugee. CBP said agents “offered him a courtesy ride, which he chose to accept 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,” and that “he showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance.”

Advocates and Shah Alam’s family have disputed the circumstances of the drop-off. Refugees International said agents “dropped him off in the parking lot of a closed donut shop miles from his home during the middle of a Buffalo winter evening without informing his family or lawyer of his release.” One of Shah Alam’s children, Mohamad Faisal, says nobody told the family or their lawyer where he had been left. Shah Alam had arrived in the United States in December 2024 with his wife and two children, and Imran Fazal of the Rohingya Empowerment Community said Shah Alam had worked in construction for many years in Malaysia.

Buffalo Police Department provided the timeline that Shah Alam’s lawyer reported him missing on Feb. 22 after confirming an area immigration detention center did not have him in custody. Police located the body late on Feb. 24 near the downtown sports arena where the Buffalo Sabres play; the department noted the site where Shah Alam was found is nearly 6 miles from the coffee shop location identified in local reports. A passerby called 911 after seeing a man in khaki pants and a dark parka not breathing; police said the same passerby had walked by the man about three hours earlier and observed him moving.

Weather during the days Shah Alam was missing was reported as cold, with temperatures at times below freezing and light snow. Local reporting cited a forecast of roughly 36°F for the night in question and noted the coffee shop’s posted closing time of 19:00, raising questions about whether the business was open when Shah Alam was left there.

The county medical examiner, cited by Buffalo police, characterized the cause of death as “health related” and said exposure and homicide were ruled out, but detectives are still investigating the events leading up to Shah Alam’s death. The apparent gaps in communication with family and counsel have prompted responses from elected officials and advocates: Representative Grace Meng described the episode as a “shocking breach of responsibility and basic humanity,” and Refugees International demanded a thorough investigation.

Investigators and advocates have identified immediate lines of inquiry: CBP ride logs and agent reports for Feb. 19, surveillance from the coffee or donut shop and along routes into downtown, the full county medical examiner autopsy and toxicology results, and the timeline reconciling Shah Alam’s release from county custody with his location on Feb. 24. Buffalo police and federal authorities say more details will be released as the probe continues.