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.Published On 26 Feb 2026A 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 itemslist 1 of 4‘No expectations’: Bangladesh election means little to 1m Rohingya refugeeslist 2 of 4Photos: Landmines destroy limbs and lives on Bangladesh-Myanmar borderlist 3 of 4Why The Gambia wants Myanmar punished for Rohingya genocidelist 4 of 4Myanmar election delivers walkover win for military-backed political partyend of listShah 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 responsibility and basic humanity by federal enforcement”.Mohamad Faisal, one of Shah Alam’s children, said nobody had told his family or their lawyer where their father had been left by authorities after his release from prison, according to the Reuters news agency.