A nearly blind Rohingya refugee from Myanmar has been found dead in Buffalo days after U.S. Border Patrol agents left him at a coffee shop miles from his home following his release from county jail, authorities said.

The body of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, was discovered Tuesday evening by officers from the Buffalo Police Department, a department spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. Shah Alam had been missing since February 19, when agents dropped him off at a coffee shop after his release.

Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan criticized federal authorities, calling the death preventable and the decision to leave Shah Alam alone “inhumane.”

“A vulnerable man – nearly blind and unable to speak English – was left alone on a cold winter night with no known attempt to leave him in a safe, secure location,” Ryan said. He described the action by U.S. Customs and Border Protection as “unprofessional and inhumane.”

Several members of Congress also called for an investigation, including Grace Meng, who described the situation as a “shocking breach of responsibility and basic humanity by federal enforcement.”

According to Reuters, Shah Alam’s son, Mohamad Faisal, said the family and their lawyer were not informed where authorities had left his father. Faisal said the family are Rohingya refugees from Arakan state, officially known as Rakhine state, in Myanmar, and that his father could not read, write or use electronic devices.

Faisal said his father’s arrest nearly a year ago stemmed from a misunderstanding. Police were called after Shah Alam wandered onto private property while carrying a curtain rod he had purchased to use as a walking stick due to his impaired vision. Unable to understand English commands to drop the rod, he was arrested and remained in jail for close to a year before being released under a misdemeanor plea agreement.

“He only wanted to eat home-cooked food and be united with the rest of his family,” Faisal said.

In a statement to Investigative Post, a Buffalo-based news outlet, a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said agents determined Shah Alam had entered the United States as a refugee and could not be deported. The agency said agents offered him a “courtesy ride” to a coffee shop they considered a warm and safe location near his last known address, rather than releasing him directly from the Border Patrol station.

“He showed no signs of distress, mobility issues or disabilities requiring special assistance,” the spokesperson said.

Temperatures in Buffalo, near the Canadian border, were below freezing over the weekend.

Homicide detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding Shah Alam’s death, according to police. The case has drawn renewed attention to immigration enforcement policies under the administration of Donald Trump, as federal practices face growing scrutiny.

BOB Post