Blind Refugee ABANDONED in Blizzard—Found DEAD

A nearly blind refugee who spoke no English was abandoned at a closed doughnut shop in freezing Buffalo by federal agents, his body discovered five days later in a case that exposes the deadly intersection of bureaucratic indifference and human vulnerability.

Story Snapshot

Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old Rohingya refugee with severe vision impairment, was released from jail to Border Patrol custody on February 19, 2026, then dropped at a shuttered Tim Hortons five miles from his home wearing only jail-issued orange booties
His body was found on a Buffalo street five days later, ruled health-related by medical examiners, after his attorney filed a missing persons report when family could not locate him
Border Patrol defended the 8 p.m. winter drop-off as a courtesy ride to a warm location, despite the business being closed and Shah Alam having no means to navigate home blind and alone
The incident has sparked outrage from Buffalo’s mayor and refugee advocates who call it an unprecedented failure of the immigration system and a dereliction of federal duty

From Persecution to Peril in America

Shah Alam fled Burma as part of the persecuted Rohingya minority, escaping what international observers have labeled genocide. He resettled in Buffalo’s Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood, joining a growing refugee community that believed America offered sanctuary. His journey ended not in safety, but on Perry Street on February 24, 2026, after a cascade of system failures that began with a misunderstanding over a curtain rod. The tragedy illuminates how immigration enforcement intersects with disability, language barriers, and local law enforcement in ways that can turn bureaucratic protocol into a death sentence for the vulnerable.

A Walking Stick Mistaken for a Weapon

The chain of events began in February 2025 when Buffalo police encountered Shah Alam walking through snow, using a curtain rod as a makeshift cane due to his mobility challenges and near-blindness. Officers mistook the improvised walking aid for a weapon. When Shah Alam failed to drop it immediately due to language barriers and cultural confusion, police Tasered and subdued him. He faced felony charges including assault and weapon possession after the altercation injured officers. His family delayed posting bail for nearly a year, fearing Immigration and Customs Enforcement would detain him despite his legal refugee status. That fear proved prescient.

The Federal Handoff That Became an Abandonment

On February 19, 2026, Shah Alam pleaded guilty to reduced misdemeanor charges of trespassing and weapon possession. His family posted bail, and he was released from Erie County Holding Center at 4:39 p.m. But Border Patrol agents took custody immediately due to an immigration detainer, a routine notification that federal authorities wanted to interview him. His attorney, Benjamin Macaluso from Legal Aid Bureau, expected Shah Alam would be processed at the ICE facility in Batavia and released to family. Instead, agents drove him to a Tim Hortons on Niagara Street in the Black Rock neighborhood around 8 p.m., dropped him off, and left.

Stranded in Winter Darkness

Video obtained by investigators shows the moment Border Patrol released Shah Alam at the closed doughnut shop. The business was shuttered for the night. Shah Alam wore orange jail-issued booties, inadequate for Buffalo’s winter streets. He was five miles from home, unable to see, unable to speak English, and without any means to contact his family or navigate the urban landscape. Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan called the abandonment unprofessional and inhumane, noting the inadequate footwear alone demonstrated federal agents’ dereliction of duty. Border Patrol spokespersons defended the action, claiming Shah Alam showed no signs of distress, accepted the ride voluntarily, and that the location was warm and safe. The shop was closed.

Three Days of Searching

Shah Alam vanished immediately after the drop-off. His family searched desperately, unaware of where Border Patrol had taken him. Macaluso filed a missing persons report with Buffalo police on February 22, three days after the release. The case was initially mishandled and briefly closed by a detective, compounding the family’s anguish. Homicide detectives eventually took over the investigation. On February 24 at approximately 8:30 p.m., officers found Shah Alam’s body on Perry Street. The Erie County Medical Examiner, Kara Kane, ruled the death health-related, excluding exposure or homicide, though Erie County Health officials later disputed that the determination was final. Specific cause details have not been publicly released.

A Community in Mourning and Fear

Imran Fazal, a Rohingya advocate who knew Shah Alam’s family, expressed devastation and fear for his own safety following the death. He described it as a complete failure of the system, unprecedented for refugees resettled legally in the United States. Buffalo’s Rohingya community, already traumatized by genocide in their homeland, now questions their security in America. The funeral drew attention from advocacy organizations and media outlets including Democracy Now, which covered the service and the broader implications for refugee protection. The incident has ignited debates about how immigration enforcement agencies treat vulnerable populations, particularly those with disabilities, when bureaucratic procedures override basic human considerations.

Federal Defense Versus Local Outrage

Border Patrol officials Michael Niezgoda and Christopher Horvatits maintained that agents followed protocol, characterizing the transport as a courtesy and asserting Shah Alam chose the drop-off location. They insisted the Tim Hortons was a warm, safe place, though surveillance and witness accounts confirm it was closed at the time of release. Mayor Ryan, a Democrat, publicly blamed federal authorities for the death, framing it as a failure to coordinate with local officials, family, or legal counsel. District Attorney Mike Keane noted the initial felony charges stemmed from the altercation and officers’ injuries but acknowledged the case’s complexities involving language and cultural misunderstandings. The clash between federal enforcement priorities and local accountability continues as the investigation unfolds.

What This Death Reveals About the System

Shah Alam’s death exposes critical gaps in how immigration authorities handle non-deportable individuals with disabilities. He was not subject to deportation as a legal refugee, yet the immigration detainer triggered a custody transfer that ended fatally. Border Patrol agents had no apparent training or protocol for ensuring the safety of a nearly blind, non-English-speaking individual released in winter darkness miles from home. There was no notification to family, no handoff to social services, no consideration of his medical vulnerabilities. The case raises questions about accountability when federal agencies operate with immunity from local oversight, leaving families and communities to absorb the consequences of decisions made without regard for individual circumstances or basic humanity.