Near-blind Rohingya refugee dies after US agents left him far from home
#Rohingya refugee death#US Border Patrol#Buffalo New York#Immigration detention#Human rights violations#Trump immigration policy#ICE custody deaths#Rakhine state
📌 Key Takeaways
Nearly blind Rohingya refugee died after US agents left him far from home
Shah Alam was unable to speak English and had mobility issues due to blindness
Federal authorities dropped him at a coffee shop despite his vulnerability
His death is being investigated as a homicide by Buffalo police
The incident has drawn criticism from local officials and representatives
📖 Full Retelling
US Border Patrol agents left a nearly blind Rohingya refugee from Myanmar miles away from his home following his release from a county jail, leading to his death in Buffalo, New York, where his body was found on Tuesday evening, February 25, 2026, according to authorities. The victim, 56-year-old Nurul Amin Shah Alam, had been missing since February 19 when immigration authorities dropped him at a coffee shop after determining he had entered the country as a refugee and could not be deported. Mayor Sean Ryan condemned the decision as 'unprofessional and inhumane,' noting that a vulnerable man who was nearly blind and unable to speak English was left alone on a cold winter night with no attempt to place him in a safe location. Shah Alam's family revealed he had been arrested nearly a year prior due to a misunderstanding when police found him carrying a curtain rod as a walking stick after wandering onto private property, and despite his impaired vision and inability to communicate in English, he remained in custody until accepting a misdemeanor plea deal. The Buffalo Police Department has classified the death as a homicide and is conducting an investigation, while federal officials maintain that Shah Alam showed no signs of distress or mobility issues when they dropped him off at what they considered a warm, safe location near his last known address.
🏷️ Themes
Human Rights, Immigration Policy, Refugee Crisis, Government Accountability
Immigration detention is the policy and practice of incarcerating both foreign national asylum seekers/refugees and immigrants — whether suspected of unauthorized arrival, illegal entry, visa violations, as well as those subject to deportation and removal — in detention centers for the purpose of im...
Human rights are universally recognized moral principles or norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both national and international laws. These rights are considered inherent and inalienable, meaning they belong to every individual simply by virtue of being human,...
The United States Border Patrol (USBP) is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and is responsible for securing the borders of the United States. According to its website as of 2022, its mission is to "Protect the American people, safeguard our ...
News | Refugees Near-blind Rohingya refugee dies after US agents left him far from home Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, was a nearly blind Rohingya refugee from Rakhine state in Myanmar, family members said. Listen to this article | 3 mins By Lyndal Rowlands and Reuters Published On 26 Feb 2026 26 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media Share Save Add Al Jazeera on Google A nearly blind Rohingya refugee from Myanmar has been found dead in Buffalo, New York, days after the United States Border Patrol left him miles away from his home following his release from a county jail, authorities said. The body of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, was located by police officers in the city in upstate New York on Tuesday evening, a Buffalo Police Department spokesperson said on Wednesday. Recommended Stories list of 4 items list 1 of 4 ‘No expectations’: Bangladesh election means little to 1m Rohingya refugees list 2 of 4 Photos: Landmines destroy limbs and lives on Bangladesh-Myanmar border list 3 of 4 Why The Gambia wants Myanmar punished for Rohingya genocide list 4 of 4 Myanmar election delivers walkover win for military-backed political party end of list Shah Alam had been missing since February 19, when US Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a coffee shop following his release from a county jail. Mayor of Buffalo Sean Ryan, a Democrat, said in a statement on Wednesday that Shah Alam’s death was preventable and the result of “inhumane” decision-making by federal immigration authorities. “A vulnerable man – nearly blind and unable to speak English – was left alone on a cold winter night with no known attempt to leave him in a safe, secure location,” Ryan said. “That decision from US Customs and Border Protection was unprofessional and inhumane,” he added. Several US representatives called for an investigation into the circumstances of Shah Alam’s death on Wednesday, including Grace Meng, a Democrat representing areas of New York City, who described a “shocking breach of respons...
