Buffalo, N.Y., police investigate death of Myanmar refugee just released from U.S. government custody | CBC News

A virtually blind refugee from Myanmar lacking since his launch from a Buffalo, N.Y., jail into the custody of U.S. Border Patrol has been discovered useless on a downtown avenue, metropolis authorities have mentioned.

Law enforcement officials within the western NY city situated the physique of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, on Tuesday night, a Buffalo Police Division spokesperson mentioned.

Shah Alam had been lacking since Feb. 19, when U.S. Border Patrol brokers dropped him off at a espresso store kilometres from his residence following his launch from a county jail, the place he had spent a lot of the final yr awaiting trial on felony fees that resulted in a misdemeanor plea deal.

Murder detectives are investigating the circumstances of Shah Alam’s death, the spokesperson mentioned.

Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan, a Democrat, mentioned in an announcement Wednesday that Shah Alam’s death was preventable and the end result of “inhumane” decision-making by federal immigration authorities.

“A weak man — almost blind and unable to talk English — was left alone on a chilly winter evening with no recognized try to depart him in a secure, safe location,” Ryan mentioned. “That call from U.S. Customs and Border Safety was unprofessional and inhumane.”

In an announcement to Buffalo’s NBC affiliate WGRZ, a CBP spokesperson mentioned brokers dropped Shah Alam off at a espresso store after brokers decided he had entered the nation as a refugee and couldn’t be deported. Shah Alam “confirmed no indicators of misery, mobility points, or disabilities requiring particular help,” it mentioned.

“Border Patrol brokers supplied him a courtesy journey, which he selected to just accept to a espresso store, decided to be a heat, secure location close to his final recognized tackle, fairly than be released straight from the Border Patrol station,” the company mentioned.

The Erie County District Legal professional’s Workplace mentioned Shah Alam was arrested a yr in the past following an incident that resulted in minor accidents to 2 Buffalo police officers. Shah Alam was released on bail this month after he had agreed to a plea deal, the district lawyer’s workplace mentioned.

Following Shah Alam’s arrest, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued an immigration detainer, a proper request to take custody of a non-citizen after his scheduled launch from felony detention.

Household not conscious he’d been released

In response to that immigration detainer, the Erie County Sheriff’s Workplace contacted U.S. Border Patrol previous to Shah Alam’s launch, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s workplace mentioned. Mohamad Faisal, one of Shah Alam’s kids, mentioned in a textual content message that his father’s arrest a yr in the past was as a result of a misunderstanding with police officers.

Shah Alam, who didn’t converse English, had been out for a stroll and had been utilizing a curtain rod he bought as a strolling stick, Faisal mentioned. Shah Alam received misplaced and walked onto the property of a Buffalo resident who referred to as the police, Faisal mentioned.

When Shah Alam didn’t perceive police instructions to drop his curtain rod, they arrested him, his son mentioned.

Upon his launch final week, “No one informed me or my household or lawyer the place my dad was dropped off,” Faisal mentioned.

A Buffalo-area immigration lawyer informed WGRZ that federal officers aren’t required to inform households once they launch adults from custody.

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The household are Arakan Rohingya refugees, he mentioned.

The CBP assertion to Buffalo media indicated that Shah Alam entered the U.S. as a refugee on Dec. 24, 2024.

Myanmar has denied accusations of genocide associated to a 2017 offensive led by navy forces that compelled not less than 730,000 Rohingya from their houses. Many have toiled since then at a camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, the place some human rights activists say situations have worsened within the wake of humanitarian support cuts applied by Donald Trump’s second presidential administration.