Surveillance footage contradicts the US Department of Homeland Security’s claim that Border Patrol agents dropped Nurul Shah Alam, a 56-year-old nearly blind Rohingya refugee, at a “warm, safe location” after his release from jail last week, days before he was found dead.
The Case of Nurul Shah Alam
The video, obtained by the Buffalo-based outlet Investigative Post late Wednesday, showed a white van arriving at a Tim Hortons donut shop at approximately 8:18 pm Eastern, more than an hour after the store—except its drive-thru window—had closed for the night.
The footage shows a man identified by Investigative Post as Shah Alam walking by the drive-thru window and approaching the locked door before walking across the parking lot.
The Border Patrol agents who dropped off Shah Alam, who spoke no English, appeared to make no attempt to ensure the Tim Hortons was accessible to him. The van left the parking lot less than a minute after Shah Alam exited it.
When news of Shah Alam’s death on a Buffalo street days after his release—and following a period of subfreezing temperatures—broke Wednesday, a spokesperson for Border Patrol stated that the agents had “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.”
The spokesperson also claimed that Shah Alam, who used a walking stick, “showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance.”
The agents did not notify Shah Alam’s family or lawyers that he had been dropped off at the Tim Hortons.
“So when [the Department of Homeland Security] says they ‘offered him a courtesy ride to a warm, safe location’… they mean they abandoned him in the parking lot of a closed Tim Hortons in the middle of a winter evening in Buffalo,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International. “They lie about EVERYTHING.”
Shah Alam had been detained at the Erie County Holding Center since February 2025, after getting lost while purchasing a curtain rod to use as a walking stick. He ended up in a woman’s backyard, who called the police, reporting that Shah Alam was swinging the rod “in a menacing manner”—a claim his lawyer disputes.
Police body camera footage obtained by Investigative Post shows Shah Alam saying, “OK” and dropping the curtain rod when an officer asked him to put it down. The footage also shows officers Tasering and tackling Shah Alam.
After the incident, Shah Alam was charged with assault, trespassing, and possession of a weapon—his walking stick—and held until last Thursday, when he took a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to trespassing and possession of a weapon, avoiding immigration detention despite a detainer issued by Border Patrol.
Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan told Investigative Post that Border Patrol should have returned Shah Alam to the Erie County Holding Center, where sheriff’s deputies familiar with his family could have contacted them.
A family friend, Khaleda Shah, told the outlet, “The lawyer was not informed, and the family is just saying, ‘You had our contact information, you had our address.’ Why not drop him at the address that’s on file for him? Why not bring you back to the holding center, rather than Tim Hortons?”
When Fresh York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof posted about Shah Alam’s death on X, DHS responded with its claim that the agents had brought him to a safe location.
Kristof replied, “Video shows that it was night and the coffee shop was closed, so he never entered it… Instead, mostly blind and in need of a cane, unable to speak English, he tried to walk home through the freezing night — since your agents never called his family or lawyer but seem to have left him to die. Do you see how your credibility is undermined when you repeatedly make claims that are later contradicted by video evidence? Why should we trust statements from an agency with such a record of deceit?”
DHS had not publicly responded as of press time.
Refugees International is calling for a full investigation into Border Patrol’s “abandonment” of Shah Alam.
Daniel P. Sullivan, the group’s director Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, noted that the US determined in 2022 that the Myanmar military had committed genocide against the Rohingya people, and Shah Alam was resettled in the US in 2024 after surviving the violence and persecution.
“The death of Shah Alam comes in the midst of ongoing violent immigration enforcement operations by [Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents that have led to widespread abuse and neglect of legally resettled refugees as well as deaths of immigrants and American citizens alike,” said Sullivan.
Sullivan also stated that a member of the Rohingya community told the organization that Shah Alam’s “safe haven became a tragedy for him.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to Nurul Shah Alam?
Nurul Shah Alam, a 56-year-old nearly blind Rohingya refugee, was found dead on a Buffalo street days after Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a closed Tim Hortons donut shop following his release from jail.
What did the Department of Homeland Security say about the incident?
The Department of Homeland Security initially claimed that Border Patrol agents dropped Shah Alam at a “warm, safe location,” but surveillance footage contradicts this claim.
What are people saying about the circumstances of Shah Alam’s death?
Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International, stated that the Department of Homeland Security “lied about EVERYTHING.”
Given the conflicting accounts and the tragic outcome, what level of oversight and accountability should be applied to Border Patrol’s release procedures?
