The death of a nearly blind Rohingya refugee, who was left alone in a Buffalo parking lot by US Border Patrol agents, has been ruled a homicide by the Erie County medical examiner. Nurul Shah Alam, 56, died from complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer precipitated by hypothermia and dehydration after being released without proper clothing or notification to his family.
Shah Alam had been detained after mistakenly wandering into a resident's backyard. His family had been preparing for his release on 19 February, the start of Ramadan, but he never returned home. His body was found five days later, four miles from where Border Patrol dropped him, wearing only orange detention booties in sub-freezing temperatures.
The medical examiner's office stated that the homicide classification includes deaths resulting from negligent acts or omissions. Family attorney Terrence Connors said the report confirms that Shah Alam was placed in a hostile environment from which he could not reasonably escape. The Department of Homeland Security, however, denied any wrongdoing, calling the findings a hoax.
Shah Alam's son, Mohamad Faisal Nurul Amin, described the family's devastation. The case has sparked calls for accountability and raised concerns about the treatment of detainees under the Trump administration. Advocates say the release lacked coordination and basic safeguards, with Michelle Brané of Together and Free calling the practices 'almost intentionally cruel'.
The death has deeply affected Buffalo's small Rohingya community, who fled ethnic genocide in Myanmar. Imran Fazal, founder of the Rohingya Empowerment Community, expressed the shock of those who thought resettlement meant safety.
