On February 24th, the discovery of the body of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a Rohingya refugee, sparked outrage in the United States against Donald Trump’s immigration policy. His body was found in a street in Buffalo, New York, near the Canadian border. The visually impaired 56-year-old man, apprehended by border patrol agents, was released alone several kilometers from his home after a stint in a migrant detention center.
His death was classified as a homicide by local health authorities on Wednesday, according to AFP.
The county coroner’s office determined after an investigation that Nurul Amin Shah Alam’s death was due to complications from a perforated duodenal ulcer, exacerbated by hypothermia and dehydration, the county health department stated in a press release. The death was labeled as a homicide.
At the time of the body’s discovery, local American media reported that the refugee, described as almost blind and not speaking English, had been dropped off five days earlier, in frigid weather, outside a restaurant in the city by border patrol agents (CBP). He was found dead about six kilometers away.
“To certify the death, the term ‘homicide’ refers to a death resulting from a voluntary act, including negligence or omission. The classification of homicide does not imply intent to harm or cause death,” emphasized the report from the coroner’s office.
Shah Alam’s relatives were informed of the investigation’s findings, the county health department stated. “When I received the call from the coroner, I felt paralyzed,” said Mohamad Faisal Nurul Amin, Shah’s son, as reported by The Guardian. “I felt nauseous. I couldn’t move. Someone told my mother, and she was devastated. I am still in shock,” he continued.
Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan described these findings as “deeply troubling” and mentioned “a failure in their duties” on the part of immigration agents.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who had launched an official investigation in early March, stated in a press release: “Mr. Shah Alam fled genocide to build a life in this country. Instead, he was abandoned and left to his fate. No New Yorker should be treated this way. My office continues its investigation into the circumstances and treatment that led to Mr. Shah Alam’s death.”
According to the Customs and Border Protection agency, Border Patrol agents had determined that he could not be deported and offered to take him to a “safe, warm location near his last known address.” “He showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance,” they claimed at the time.
Contacted by The Guardian, the Department of Homeland Security stated that Nurul Amin Shah Alam’s death “had nothing to do with border patrol” and described the conclusions as “a new deception spread by the media and politicians from sanctuary cities to demonize our law enforcement.”
