Democrats Are Demanding an Investigation Into the Death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam

Four Democratic lawmakers on Friday demanded a federal investigation into the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a nearly blind Rohingya refugee who was found dead in Buffalo, New York, five days after Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a closed coffee shop.

“My heart is broken, our community’s heart is broken, and the nation is grieving with Mr. Shah Alam’s family,” Rep. Timothy Kennedy, who represents Buffalo and serves on the House Committee on Homeland Security, told NOTUS in an interview on Friday.

“A totally preventable, tragic incident, where someone who came to our great country and our great community is now dead, when he came here to seek refuge from oppression and persecution, and it’s because of the Department of Homeland Security’s lack of leadership and total ineptitude, and a total failure of the system,” he continued. “We need answers.”

Reps. Bennie Thompson, Jamie Raskin and Grace Meng also signed onto the letter to the Department of Homeland Security’s secretary, Kristi Noem.

“As Members of Congress, with the responsibility to conduct oversight of this administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its inhumane – at times deadly — treatment of immigrants, we must hold this administration accountable for any negligence, wrongdoing, or breach of protocol that resulted in a death,” the letter reads.

Shah Alam, a refugee from Burma who came to the United States in December 2024 and spent a year in a county jail in upstate New York, was nearly blind and spoke no English, according to his family and friends. Following his release from custody by the Erie County Holding Center, the sheriff’s office notified federal immigration officials due to a previous immigration detainer, leading Border Patrol agents to detain Shah Alam.

Border Patrol dropped him off at a coffee shop about a mile away from where Shah Alam and his family previously resided. But the coffee shop was closed, Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan said Thursday.

“The Border Patrol officers had no protocol of what to do with a disabled man who doesn’t speak English, who is confused and lost,” Ryan said. “You know what they did? They dropped him off at a closed coffee shop. That’s why we do not cooperate with ICE, Homeland Security and Border Patrol.”

His family, who now lives about five miles away from the coffee shop, and his attorney were not informed of his release, and promptly set out to look for him. He was found dead five days later.

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but has publicly defended its officers’ actions.

A spokesperson for Border Patrol told the Investigative Post on Wednesday that after agents determined Shah Alam was not supposed to be in their custody — his plea deal allowed him to avoid ICE detention — they “offered him a courtesy ride, which he chose to accept to a coffee shop.”

“This individual tragically died almost a week after this courtesy ride,” DHS posted on X. “It is ridiculous to blame Border Patrol for an individual’s death a week after their last interaction with them.”

It is unclear how agents communicated with Shah Alam, who did not speak English. Khaleda Shah, a family friend, told NPR that when Border Patrol left him at the coffee shop, he did not have proper shoes on. Another family friend told Spectrum News Buffalo that Shah Alam could not walk without assistance.

Noem is set to testify twice on the Hill next week, including on Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee. Kennedy said that he asked committee Chair Jim Jordan to let him join the hearing to ask Noem about the death of Shah Alam but is not sure whether he will be allowed.

“I’ve called for her resignation and impeachment,” Kennedy said of Noem. “Time after time we’re seeing over the last year a pattern of cruelty, inhumanity and injustice. And once again there is an individual who was found dead and the last interaction he had was with the Department of Homeland Security.”

On Thursday, Kennedy wrote a letter to New York Attorney General Letitia James, requesting a state investigation into the death of Shah Alam.

James’ office has said it is “reviewing our legal options,” saying that Shah Alam “fled genocide and came to this country in search of safety and opportunity. Instead, his life was tragically cut short.”

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York sent a letter to Noem and Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott on Thursday requesting more information regarding Shah Alam’s death.

“These series of negligent actions demand a full investigation surrounding the events leading up to Mr. Shah Alam’s release from federal custody and his subsequent death, and what steps will be taken to prevent this from happening again,” Gillibrand wrote.