Blind Refugee's Final Days: Border Patrol Release Before Death Raises Questions
Disturbing surveillance footage has emerged showing a nearly blind refugee from Myanmar being released by U.S. Border Patrol agents at a closed Buffalo doughnut shop, just five nights before he was found dead on a city street. The video, obtained by the Investigative Post, captures the final moments of 56-year-old Nurul Amin Shah Alam after his release from custody, raising serious questions about whether federal agents could have done more to ensure his safety.
The Fateful Night at Tim Hortons
On the night of February 19, surveillance cameras recorded Shah Alam stepping gingerly through an empty parking lot in his county-issued jail booties. The footage shows him pulling up his hood against the cold as he walks past a drive-thru window, then pacing away into the darkness. According to Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan, the Tim Hortons restaurant was closed at that time.
The video clearly shows Shah Alam being let out of a Border Patrol van, which then drives away, leaving him to walk by the restaurant's locked front door. U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated this week that agents chose "a warm, safe location" for the drop-off, though the restaurant's closure and the refugee's visual impairment have cast doubt on this assessment.
A Tragic Discovery and Unanswered Questions
Five nights later, on Tuesday, Shah Alam was found dead outside the arena where the NHL's Buffalo Sabres play. A woman called 911 to report his body lying on the sidewalk. It remains unclear how he traveled several miles from the doughnut shop to this downtown location. Buffalo police are currently reviewing footage throughout the city in an attempt to reconstruct his movements during those final days.
The county medical examiner is investigating the cause of death, while Customs and Border Protection maintain that agents offered Shah Alam "a courtesy ride" to a location near where his family had once lived. The agency claims he accepted the ride and showed no signs of distress or disability, though they did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.
A Year in Custody Preceding Release
Shah Alam's release came after a year in the Erie County Holding Center, where he had been held following a 2025 incident that led to his arrest. Body-camera footage released by Buffalo Police on Thursday shows officers approaching Shah Alam in a snowy backyard as he holds what appear to be two curtain rods.
In the videos, an officer shouts "What are you doing?" and "Put it down" multiple times before saying "I'm going to shoot you, dude" and firing Tasers. Advocates for the family say Shah Alam wandered into the wrong property and did not understand the officers' commands because he didn't speak English. Police say he bit two officers during the struggle that followed.
Legal Complexities and Immigration Concerns
Shah Alam was initially charged with felony assault, burglary, and criminal mischief, with a federal immigration detainer issued after his arrest. The Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo made "a strategic decision" not to post bail initially, fearing immigration officials would take him into custody.
After he pleaded guilty to two lesser misdemeanor charges on February 9, lawyers advised his family it was safe to post bail. He was released from the Erie County Holding Center on February 19 after posting bond, with the county sheriff's office informing Border Patrol about his pending release due to the immigration detainer.
Agents arrived before his release, according to attorneys and government officials, and transported him to the Tim Hortons where surveillance cameras captured his final independent moments. The tragic sequence of events has sparked renewed scrutiny of Border Patrol protocols and the treatment of vulnerable individuals in immigration proceedings.
