Refugee Found Dead After Border Patrol Drop-Off in New York Ruled Homicide

The death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a near-blind Rohingya refugee from Myanmar who was found dead in Buffalo days after U.S. Border Patrol agents dropped him off outside a closed Tim Hortons, has been ruled a homicide, a finding that is likely to intensify scrutiny of how federal immigration authorities handled one of the most disturbing refugee cases in New York this year.

Erie County officials said Wednesday that Shah Alam's cause of death was "complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer precipitated by hypothermia and dehydration," while the manner of death was classified as homicide. County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein said the ulcer was a medical emergency and that severe stress from exposure to extreme cold and lack of access to liquids contributed to the lethal sequence of events. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said state law prevents the county from releasing the full autopsy publicly.

The ruling does not by itself establish criminal intent. County officials said the homicide classification is a medical determination used when a death results from another person's act, omission or decision, including negligence, and does not itself decide criminal liability. Still, in plain English, this is the kind of finding that turns official explanations into even bigger questions.

Shah Alam, 56, was found dead on Feb. 24 in Buffalo, five days after Border Patrol agents released him near a coffee shop that city officials say was closed at the time. According to Reuters and AP, Shah Alam was nearly blind, spoke no English, and used a cane. His family later identified themselves as Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, a detail that added a painful layer to the case because he had already fled one humanitarian catastrophe before dying alone in western New York.

The public backlash has been fierce from the start. Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan previously called Shah Alam's death "preventable," "deeply disturbing," and "a dereliction of duty" by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. On Wednesday, New York Attorney General Letitia James said Shah Alam "fled genocide to build a life in this country" but was instead "abandoned and left to suffer alone in his final hours," adding that her office is still reviewing the circumstances that led to his death.

Border Patrol has defended its actions. The agency has said Buffalo police notified Border Patrol on Feb. 19 that a noncitizen was in custody, and officers later determined Shah Alam had entered the United States as a refugee in December 2024 and was not subject to removal. CBP said agents gave him a ride to what they believed was a "warm, safe location" near his last known address and claimed he showed no signs of distress, mobility issues or disabilities requiring special assistance.