Death of a refugee Left at a Buffalo Doughnut Shop by Border Patrol Ruled Homicide

Thursday, April 02, 2026

The death of a nearly blind refugee from Myanmar who was found on a Buffalo street in February -- five days after Border Patrol agents left him at a doughnut shop ...

Posted by retort at 07:52 AM | 26 COMMENTS | permalink

NEW: The death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a Blind Rohingya refugee who was left on the freezing streets of Buffalo by Border Patrol officers, was ruled a homicide. New York Attorney General Letitia James is investigating.

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-- Mother Jones (@motherjones.com) Apr 1, 2026 at 5:23 PM

Comments

All of the ICE who killed this person knew what the right thing to do was.

But they're like Trump. The "right" things didn't apply to them when they were a scotch inconvenient to apply.

#1 | Posted by Zed at 2026-04-02 08:17 AM

If this is why the GOP were blocking DHS funding then they'd be justified. Of course this is not why. They actually want more government sanctioned killings, not less.

#2 | Posted by johnny_hotsauce at 2026-04-02 08:19 AM

The killers are nowhere near Western New York at this time, and will never return willingly. The only way the responsible parties will be brought to justice will be with a large bounty, cash for tips on the locations of the killers, and person or persons willing to go out, get them, and bring them back to Erie County to face justice...

#3 | Posted by catdog at 2026-04-02 08:24 AM

ag.ny.gov

Years ago, the NYS AG offices only hired seasoned investigators with a minimum ten years experience from other agencies. I doubt things have changed.

Their investigation into those ICE or CBP doofuses should be pretty sound.

#4 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-04-02 08:31 AM

This will help the NYSAG and their investigation: theicelist.org

And several county ADAs have formed a national network to cooperate with each other to prosecute ICE suspects. (Source: NYT)

#5 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-04-02 08:37 AM

Poorly trained, heavily armed paramilitaries masked to hide their identities murdering people because they can murder people and get away with it.

Any of their crimes not covered-up by the cover-up can be wished away by what JD Vance claims is "absolute immunity" or, alternatively, washed away with a presidential pardon (price on request).

#6 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2026-04-02 11:12 AM

Death of a refugee Left at a Buffalo Doughnut Shop by Border Patrol Ruled Homicide

This is what I voted for.
--Boaz

#7 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-04-02 11:40 AM

And isn't it nice that the damn Dems DACO'd on funding ICE, according to a NYT article early this morning..

#8 | Posted by Yodagirl at 2026-04-02 02:00 PM

This is a joke. There will be no arrests.

#9 | Posted by Angrydad at 2026-04-02 05:12 PM

"Death of a refugee" ...

Sounds like a good title for a broadway play.

#10 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-04-02 06:38 PM

In that fabled play, there is no reference to anyone's religion, ethnicity, origin, or race.

For a play taking place in the Bronx of the 1950s, that is quite an achievement.

When you read Southerner Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities, which takes place in the Bronx and Manhattan, the reader knows everybody's ethnicity or race, either by the universal narrator or the way the characters describe each other.

#11 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-04-02 06:57 PM

According to DHS:

Homeland Security
@DHSgov
This death had NOTHING to do with Border Patrol. Mr. Shah Alam passed almost A WEEK AFTER he was released by Border Patrol " he also had a serial violent criminal rap sheet.

I'll see if I can independently verify the claim.

#12 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-04-03 12:22 AM

I'll see if I can independently verify the claim.

It's right there in the thread article.

#13 | Posted by REDIAL at 2026-04-03 12:27 AM

From BBC

" The body of Shah Alam was found on 24 February - five days after agents dropped him off at a coffee shop."

www.bbc.com

What this doesn't tell is how long he was dead when his body was found. Also in the article it's reported his body was found about 6 miles away from the location he was dropped off.

#14 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-04-03 12:35 AM

What this doesn't tell is how long he was dead when his body was found. Also in the article it's reported his body was found about 6 miles away from the location he was dropped off.

So?

#15 | Posted by REDIAL at 2026-04-03 12:41 AM

So?

Without a time of actual death we don't know how much time passed between the time he was dropped off until the time he died.

Medical examiners are calling it a homicide. We know the cause of death but what we don't know is exactly when it occurred. For me, the question is how long can LE be reasonably expected to be responsible for this man's well-being after dropping him off? We don't have the info necessary to even try to make that determination.

#16 | Posted by BellRinger at 2026-04-03 12:56 AM

For me, the question is how long can LE be reasonably expected to be responsible for this man's well-being after dropping him off?

I suppose that's a fair question, if it bothers you.

#17 | Posted by REDIAL at 2026-04-03 01:03 AM

"For me, the question is how long can LE be reasonably expected to be responsible for this man's well-being after dropping him off?"

Well the answer to your question is: No time at all.

ICE didn't spend any time at all being responsible for his well being after dropping him off.

ICE has already demonstrated they aren't responsible for the well being of people, while in ICE their custody.

At Largest ICE Detention Camp, Staff Bet on Detainee Suicides, AP Reports
www.motherjones.com

You think ICE should be charged with homicide? No, of course not. Don't be silly. They didn't do anything wrong. All they did was leave a man outside in the freezing cold.

#18 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-04-03 01:04 AM

ICE didn't spend any time at all being responsible for his well being after dropping him off.

Border Patrol, actually.

#19 | Posted by REDIAL at 2026-04-03 01:09 AM

All they did was leave a man outside in the freezing cold.

That was a questionable move.

#20 | Posted by REDIAL at 2026-04-03 01:10 AM

Border Patrol, actually.
#19 | Posted by REDIAL a

Yeah I was worried I might get some TLAs wrong.
Birds of a feather all the same.

#21 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-04-03 01:12 AM

Birds of a feather all the same.

Probably... I'm not sure what the difference is.