Border Patrol leaves near-blind Rohingya refugee in freezing Buffalo lot; death ruled homicide

On February 19, 2026, U.S. Border Patrol agents took Nurul Amin Shah Alam — a 56-year-old Rohingya refugee who was nearly blind and spoke little English — from a county jail and released him alone outside a closed Tim Hortons in Buffalo, New York, in near-freezing cold and miles from his home. Five days later he was found dead.

The Erie County medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, attributing it to a perforated duodenal ulcer precipitated by hypothermia and dehydration. The Department of Homeland Security initially said its agents had left him at a "safe location," but surveillance footage contradicted that account. House Judiciary Committee Democrats pressed DHS Secretary Noem for an explanation in a February 26 letter.

When the government takes a person into custody it assumes responsibility for that person's safety until they are released somewhere genuinely safe — a duty that grows heavier when the person is elderly, disabled, and unable to fend for themselves. A death tied to how federal immigration agents handled a detainee in their charge is recorded here so that the custodial harm is part of the public record.

Updates

2026-04-02 — CBP publicly denied responsibility, called coverage a "hoax"

After the Erie County Medical Examiner ruled Shah Alam's death a homicide, a CBP spokesperson said the death "had NOTHING to do with Border Patrol" and characterized the reporting as "another hoax being peddled by the media and sanctuary politicians to demonize our law enforcement," noting Shah Alam died nearly a week after his release and stating he "showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance" at the time. [5, 6]