Police confirmed on Wednesday that a nearly blind Burmese refugee dumped at a Tim Hortons in Buffalo, New York, by Border Patrol agents last week has been found dead, unable to find his way back home through miles of freezing weather.
The death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a Rohingya who fled persecution in his home country, has sparked fury on social media, with experts horrified at the cruelty of his treatment — and others suggesting federal agents should face homicide charges over the incident.
“A truly AWFUL situation; last week Border Patrol dropped a ‘nearly blind’ Burmese refugee off in front of a random donut shop in Buffalo, five miles from his house. He was just found dead, having never made it home,” wrote American Immigration Council senior fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick. “It is truly enraging. To take someone so vulnerable and to drop them off so far from their home in the middle of winter without notifying family? It was a recipe for disaster. And I doubt anyone will be held accountable.”
“The preventable death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam is deeply disturbing and a dereliction of duty by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” wrote Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan. “U.S. Customs and Border Protection must answer for how and why this happened.”
“If any private citizen had done this, they would almost certainly be charged with a crime,” wrote New York State Assembly candidate Adam Bojak. “Make no mistake about it: CBP killed Nurul Amin Shah Alam. RIP.”
“‘Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a nearly blind refugee from Burma who Border Patrol agents dropped off at a doughnut shop Thursday and left to find his way home, 5 miles away, has been found dead.’ To read the words is to damn all involved,” wrote legal analyst Chris Geidner.
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