New Footage Reveals Border Patrol Dropped Partially Blind Refugee at Closed Store Before His Death

Security camera footage reviewed by The Washington Post shows Border Patrol agents dropping off a partially blind Rohingya refugee at a closed coffee shop in Buffalo on the night of February 19. Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, was found dead five days later about five miles away.

Video from a Tim Hortons parking lot shows a white van arriving shortly after 8 p.m., more than an hour after the store had closed. A man matching Shah Alam's clothing exits the van and walks slowly past the drive-through window. About six minutes later, he leaves the lot on foot. The footage does not show him entering the store.

Shah Alam had been picked up by Border Patrol after posting bond at the Erie County holding center. The agency later determined he was not deportable. In comments made to The Post, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said agents offered him a "courtesy ride, which he chose to accept to a coffee shop, determined to be a warm, safe location near his last known address," adding that he showed "no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance."

Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan said the location was closed at the time Alam was dopped off, as per Spectrum News. Ryan also called the decision "a dereliction of duty" and said there were ways to contact the family:

"If they had taken him back to the holding center, the desk sergeant could have reviewed his visitor log and shown that his son was a regular visitor, his lawyer was an active visitor and they could have shown his immigration lawyer was an active visitor. There would have been ways to contact the family so you didn't leave somebody out in the cold"

Shah Alam, who arrived in the U.S. as a refugee in December 2024, had pleaded guilty earlier this month to misdemeanor charges stemming from a February 2025 arrest. Prosecutors said the reduced plea was "in the interest of justice" and avoided mandatory deportation.

Family members had waited at the jail expecting his release. "They were thinking he was just coming out," said Imran Fazal of the Rohingya Empowerment Community to Spectrum news. After learning he had been dropped off, they searched for him for days.

Temperatures fell below freezing during that period. The Erie County Medical Examiner said the cause of death remains under investigation. State Attorney General Letitia James said her office is reviewing its legal options, adding, "No one who comes here seeking refuge should be left in harm's way."