Nurul Amin Shah Alam is no longer alive. The 56 year old Rohingya refugee from Burma, nearly blind and without English language skills, was found unresponsive Tuesday evening at around 8:30 p.m. in the first block of Perry Street in Buffalo by officers from the B District. City spokesperson Ian Ott stated that the Erie County Medical Examiner had identified him and notified the family. The homicide unit is reviewing the timeline of events since his release from custody. The cause of death was determined to be related to a medical condition; hypothermia and foul play were ruled out. That is something one can question, if one knows Buffalo winters. Regardless, the question remains why a nearly blind man was alone at night several miles from his apartment.
His story does not begin on that Tuesday evening, February 24, 2026, but a year earlier. Since February 2025, Shah Alam had been held at the Erie County Holding Center. He was arrested on February 15 of the previous year. He had been walking in his neighborhood, using a curtain rod as a walking stick. Completely blind in one eye and able to see only at close range in the other, he lost his orientation and eventually stood on the porch of a house when a woman let her dog outside. She called the police. When Shah Alam did not drop the rod upon command, officers deployed a Taser and knocked him to the ground, as his attorney Benjamin Macaluso described. The officers sustained minor injuries. Shah Alam was charged with assault, trespassing, and weapons possession, among other offenses.
The family initially decided against posting bail out of concern that he could immediately be placed into immigration detention. Only a negotiated legal solution created a way out. Macaluso reached an agreement with the Erie County District Attorney’s Office: Shah Alam pleaded guilty to trespassing and weapons possession - again referring to the curtain rod as a walking stick. With that, the case on the county level was concluded; the immigration matter, however, remained unaffected. According to his own statements, Macaluso had expected that once the county case was resolved there would be no immediate transfer to federal authorities - an assumption that proved to be a miscalculation in light of the existing immigration detainer. The goal was release on bail without being placed in deportation detention outside the state. On Thursday afternoon, February 19, he was released after bail was posted. Because of a previously lodged immigration detainer, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office notified U.S. Border Patrol. At 4:39 p.m., agents took Shah Alam into custody at the holding center, according to Macaluso.
The last image showing Nurul Amin Shah Alam as he walks away from the Tim Hortons coffee shop
What happened next is documented and at the same time disturbing. According to Macaluso, Border Patrol agents dropped Shah Alam off shortly after 8 p.m. at a Tim Hortons location on Niagara Street in the Black Rock neighborhood. His family lives in the Broadway Fillmore neighborhood on the East Side - about five miles away. A Border Patrol spokesperson stated Wednesday evening that after taking him into custody, he was offered a courtesy ride, which he accepted, to a cafe. The Tim Hortons on Niagara Street was selected as a warm, safe location near his last known address instead of releasing him directly from the station. He reportedly showed no signs of stress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance.
Imran Fazel, a supporter of the Rohingya community, spoke of despair and anger. No one had expected something like this to happen in the United States. It shakes the sense of safety.
Neither his attorney nor his family were informed about this release. Macaluso assumed his client would be taken to the ICE facility in Batavia and released from there. Instead, a search began that stretched from Friday through Sunday. On Sunday, Macaluso reported him missing to the Buffalo Police Department. On Monday, the case was briefly closed because it was mistakenly believed that Shah Alam was in ICE custody in Batavia. Later, the search resumed. On Tuesday evening, he was found dead.
Fifteen months after his arrival in Buffalo in December 2024, the life of Nurul Amin Shah Alam ended on a street not far from the place where he had sought protection. His wife and two sons remain behind. The investigation continues. What is certain, however, is this: A nearly blind man who did not speak the language of the country was left at night without notification of his relatives - and he never returned home.
We do not leave releases to the authorities. Before bail is posted, we inform the individual - they notify the facility that they will be picked up directly at the gate. We also coordinate the terms of release from our side in advance. Court proceedings work differently. In those cases, we are present and confirm the meeting place and time. That works. Trusting U.S. authorities or their assurances is a good thought, but far removed from reality.
Updates – Kaizen News Brief
All current curated daily updates can be found in the Kaizen News Brief.
To the Kaizen News Brief In English
Ich hatte das schon bei Alt National Park gelesen und war erschüttert.
Wie menschenverachtend diese ICE und Border Patrol Typen sind.
Wie kann man Jemanden irgendwo einfach auf die Strasse setzen?
Wie kann Jemand, der die Sorache Englisch nicht spricht überhaupt dieser sogenannten „Gefälligkeitsfahrt“ zustimmen?
An einen ihm unbekannten Ort.
Buffalo war kalt die Tage. Sehr kalt.
Kann man da eine unabhängige Obduktion veranlassen?
Ich bin mir sicher, dass er letztlich erfroren ist.
Was mir zu schaffen macht:
Angeblich war da direkt ein Cafe. Eine belebte Strasse.
Warum hat Niemand bemerkt, dass ein hilfloser Mann in der Kälte steht/umher irrt.
Wie viele Menschen sind wohl einfach an ihm vorbei gegangen?
Nun ist er tot.
Nicht direkt im ICE gewahrsam, aber als durekte Folge.
Und wie schon bei Good und Pretty wird Niemand zur Verantwortung gezogen werden.
Und MAGA wird die Mähr vom Angriff mit einer Waffe auf eine US-Bürgerin verbreiten.
Aufgrund dieser Vorstrafe werden sie sagen „genau diese illegalen Kriminellen wollen wir raus haben“
…auch wenn wir ICE komplett verachten, der Anwalt trägt schon eine Mitschuld, wie kann man seinen Mandanten, der so gut wie nichts sieht, nicht vorher informieren, dass die Kaution bezahlt wird und er oder eine beauftragte Person ihn am Hafttor abholt und das mit der Anstalt bespricht. Das läuft reibungslos und so sollte es auch immer gemacht werden, auch wegen der häufigen Sprachprobleme.