The death of a Burmese refugee found dead near the Canadian border was labeled a homicide by local authorities. A 56-year-old man, almost blind and unable to speak English, had been released by border police in extreme conditions before his death.
The body of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old Rohingya man, was discovered on February 24th in Buffalo, New York, near the Canadian border, leading to outrage against the migration policy under Donald Trump.
The county coroner’s office concluded after an investigation that Shah Alam’s death was due to “complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer, aggravated by hypothermia and dehydration,” the county health department stated. His death was classified as a homicide. Local media reported that the refugee, described as nearly blind and non-English speaking, had been dropped off five days earlier in freezing temperatures near a restaurant by CBP agents and was found dead approximately six kilometers away.
A “failure to fulfill their duties” by immigration agents has been emphasized by the mayor of Buffalo, Sean Ryan, in response to the report on Shah Alam’s death.
According to CBP, border agents had determined he could not be deported and offered to take him to a “warm location near his last known address.” “He showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance,” CBP said at the time.
