Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old disabled Rohingya refugee from Burma, was found dead after he was abandoned by Border Patrol agents miles away from his home. He was detained in Buffalo, N.Y. and was dropped off alone on a cold winter night with Border Patrol agents seemingly not even attempting to leave him in a safe and secure location.
U.S. Rep. Tim Kennedy and Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan called Alam’s death “preventable” and “deeply disturbing,” with Ryan calling the actions “a dereliction of duty by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”
Buffalo Police reported that his death was caused by health related issues, but the Erie County Department of Health stated that its Medical Examiner’s Office was still investigating the cause and manner of death.
Border Patrol took Alam into custody after they placed an immigration detainer on him, believing him to be an illegal immigrant. After interviewing him and reviewing his documents, they realized he was a legal citizen, and dropped him off near his last known address.
The death of Alam is a tragedy, and the blame solely falls on the hands of the U.S. Border Patrol agents who released him without a clear and safe way home.
This was a vulnerable man who was left without care by U.S. authorities, another in a long line of preventable deaths by the Trump Administration’s efforts to deport illegal immigrants.
toconno4@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @RedMedia_us, X