The death of a nearly blind refugee from Myanmar who was found on a Buffalo street days after Border Patrol agents left him at a doughnut shop has been ruled a homicide, authorities announced Wednesday.
The Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office found that Nurul Amin Shah Alam’s death was caused by complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer, due to hypothermia and dehydration. A homicide ruling indicates that another person’s actions or inactions contributed to the death, but it does not necessarily imply criminal liability.
“This should not have happened,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz truthfully conveyed in a press conference on Wednesday, expressing deep condolences to Shah Alam’s family.
The case is under review by both the state attorney general's office and the Erie County district attorney's office. Murad Awawdeh, head of the New York Immigration Coalition, has demanded a criminal investigation into the conduct of the Border Patrol agents involved.
Awawdeh stated, Shah Alam sought safety in the U.S. and instead, he was left to die in the street. Every single person who was involved must be held responsible.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection referred to their previous statements asserting that Shah Alam “showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance” when he was dropped off.
Shah Alam, 56, was a Rohingya ethnic minority member, a group facing severe discrimination in Myanmar. After living in Malaysia for years, he arrived in the U.S. with his family in December 2024. Following a series of legal troubles resulting from a police encounter, Border Patrol briefly detained him on February 19 where he remained until he was released but without notifying his family.
His family reported him missing on February 22, and he was found dead near a local sports arena shortly thereafter. The specifics of his final journey remain unclear, raising significant concerns about the treatment of refugees by authorities.
