Death of a refugee left at a Buffalo doughnut shop by Border Patrol is ruled a homicide

Key Points:

• Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a nearly blind Rohingya refugee from Myanmar, was found dead on a Buffalo street in February, five days after Border Patrol agents left him at a closed doughnut shop; his death has been ruled a homicide due to complications from a perforated ulcer, hypothermia, and dehydration.
• The Erie County Medical Examiner did not assign responsibility for Shah Alam's death, but local officials and immigrant advocates are calling for a criminal investigation into the Border Patrol agents' actions or inaction.
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection maintains that Shah Alam showed no signs of distress when dropped off and denies any involvement in his death, stating the location was chosen as a warm, safe place near his last known address.
• Shah Alam had recently been released from jail after pleading guilty to misdemeanors and was briefly detained by Border Patrol before being released without notifying his family; he was reported missing by his lawyer three days later.
• The circumstances of how Shah Alam traveled from the Tim Hortons to where he was found dead remain unclear, raising questions about the events leading to his death and the treatment he received after his release.