Nearly Blind Refugee Found Dead Days After Border Patrol Left Him Alone at Coffee Shop

State and local officials are questioning the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after a nearly blind refugee from Myanmar died in Buffalo, New York, days after Border Patrol agents dropped him at a coffee shop without notifying his family.

According to police sources, Nurul Amin Shah Alam was reported missing on February 19 after CBP agents left him at the coffee shop following his release from the Erie County Jail. His body was found five days later near the same location, according to the Buffalo Police Department.

Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro said that the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign is “costing lives”.

“I am devastated to hear of the passing of Nurul Amin Shah Alam. He was a refugee of the Rohingya genocide living in Buffalo, New York. Border Patrol agents wrongfully detained him and dumped him on the street in brutal winter conditions. Blind and walking with a cane, he died trying to get home,” he said.

“Shah Alam’s death is a tragedy. Trump’s mass deportation campaign is costing lives. It must be stopped."

Buffalo Mayor Sean M. Ryan called the CBP’s actions “unprofessional” and “inhumane”.

“The preventable death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam is deeply disturbing and a dereliction of duty by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” Ryan said in an official statement on X.

The Mayor said that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection must answer for how and why this happened. “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. That decision from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection was unprofessional and inhumane,” he stated.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said in an official statement that Nurul Amin Shah Alam fled genocide and came to this country in search of “safety and opportunity”.

“Instead, his life was tragically cut short. No one who comes here seeking refuge should be left in harm’s way.”

CBP said that the Buffalo Police Department on February 19 informed Border Patrol about a noncitizen in their custody. The agency said Shah Alam had entered the U.S. as a refugee in December 2024 and “was not amenable to removal” and could not be deported.

Border Patrol agents then offered Shah Alam a 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”, according to NBC News.

“He showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance,” the agency added.

CBP, however, did not answer if Shah Alam’s family or friends were notified of his release and when it would take place.

The Buffalo Police Department told Reuters that officers found the body of Shah Alam, 56, on the evening of February 24.

“Nobody told me or my family or attorney where my dad was dropped off,” Mohamad Faisal, one of Shah Alam’s children, informed Reuters.

Faisal told the news agency that their family were Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.