Refugee missing since release to Border Patrol on Thursday found dead by Buffalo police

Border Patrol agents are accused of dropping off Nurul Amin Shah Alam, who is mostly blind and unable to communicate in English, at a Tim Hortons restaurant on Niagara Street last Thursday without informing anyone they had done so, according to a prior news report.

The Erie County Sheriff’s Office, which operates the Erie County Holding Center, said it followed proper procedure in handling Shah Alam’s release from custody.

However, Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane late Wednesday said his office had expected Shah Alam to remain in jail until his sentencing next month in a case involving injuries suffered by two Buffalo police officers when they arrested Shah Alam in February 2025.

Local and federal elected officials are now calling for an investigation into what led to the man's death.

B district officers found Shah Alam after responding to a 911 call about a dead body on Perry Street, near KeyBank Center, shortly after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Timothy Richards, a Buffalo police spokesperson, said in a statement.

Shah Alam, who was 56, was identified by the Erie County Medical Examiner earlier Wednesday and authorities have notified his family, Richards said.

The medical examiner conducted an autopsy and determined the cause of death was health-related, the department spokesperson said, while exposure and homicide have been ruled out as causes.

Buffalo police homicide detectives are investigating the circumstances and time frame of events that led up to his death, Richards said.

Shah Alam was reported missing last Thursday. He was mostly blind and didn't speak English, according to a missing person poster circulated by friends and family, with mobility and other health problems. He also is not able to use a phone.

As previously reported by Investigative Post, Shah Alam was last seen when U.S. Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a Tim Hortons on Niagara Street. His body was found five days later and about 4 miles from the restaurant.

Keane, the district attorney, in a news release elaborated on the timeline of Shah Alam's case following his arrest by Buffalo police on Feb. 15, 2025, and booking at the Holding Center the next day.

An immigration detainer, which requires a person in custody to be held for up to 48 hours after their scheduled release in order to be turned over to immigration authorities, was filed at the time, Keane said.

A grand jury indicted Shah Alam on felony assault, burglary and criminal mischief charges, the DA's Office continued, but Keane "exercised his prosecutorial discretion to offer a reduced plea in the interest of justice," adding that felony charges would lead to mandatory deportation.

Shah Alam had spent nearly a year in the Holding Center until he pleaded guilty on Feb. 9 to two misdemeanors and was offered $5,000 bail, Keane continued. The DA's Office believed Shah Alam would not be released from custody until after his sentencing, according to the news release.

"Our office was not aware of his release until yesterday," Keane said Wednesday. "We have been informed that the federal immigration detainer remained in place at the time his bond was posted on Thursday, February 19, 2026. My office will move to dismiss the charges upon receipt of his death certificate."

The Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that bond was posted for Shah Alam on Feb. 19, precipitating his release.

"Per Erie County Sheriff's Office standard practice, the agency that lodged the detainer was informed of Mr. Shah Alam's pending release. U.S. Border Patrol arrived at the Holding Center prior to the finalization of Mr. Shah Alam's release from Erie County Sheriff's Office custody," the Sheriff's Office statement said. "We did not delay – nor do we ever delay – the release process based on a detainer."

Border Patrol acknowledged a request for comment from The Buffalo News late Wednesday afternoon but did not provide a reply.

In his 2025 arrest, Shah Alam was taken into custody after a Tonawanda Street resident called police to report someone had entered her fenced-in rear yard and damaged her shed, according to a police report.

Shah Alam was found by officers holding two long black poles and, when he refused to drop them, was Tased by them. The Tasers did not have an effect on Shah Alam, according to the report, and he continued advancing on the officers.

As they struggled to take Shah Alam into custody, police reported, he bit and scratched the officers. Shah Alam, who police say smelled of alcohol, was charged with assault, menacing, trespass, criminal mischief and other counts, according to the report.

Shah Alam's attorneys told Investigative Post that the detective who had originally handled the missing persons case for Buffalo police had closed it for several hours, even though the Shah Alam had not been found. The case was reopened as of Monday afternoon, Police Commissioner Craig Macy told the outlet.

The Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo, which represents Shah Alam, published a statement to social media to share sadness about their client's death.

"Due to our ethical obligations, we are unable to offer any comment at this time," the firm's statement said.

News of Shah Alam's death sparked significant community reaction, especially from those who spread widely the news that Shah Alam was missing reacted to his death on social media Wednesday.

"The circumstances surrounding his death are alarming and raise questions about the level of humanity exhibited by those involved," said Mohammed Osman Shimul, an active member of Buffalo's Bengali community. "His absence will be deeply felt by all who knew him, as well as the entire Buffalo community."

Rep. Tim Kennedy, D-Buffalo, issued a statement Wednesday afternoon calling Shah Alam's death a "horrific and heartbreaking tragedy."

"Mr. Alam should be alive and with his loved ones today. Instead, after days of fear and uncertainty, his family is now grieving an unimaginable loss," Kennedy said. "There must be a full and transparent investigation at the local, state and federal levels. The public and Mr. Alam’s family deserve answers immediately.”

Common Councilmember David A. Rivera called the early details of Shah Alam's death "concerning and alarming."

"Tensions were already up with what's happening nationally and even locally," Rivera told The News on Wednesday, referring to another federal agency. "People are suspicious. They are fearful of ICE."

Rivera awaited further information about the series of events that preceded Shah Alam's death, but he stressed that the steps the city takes next are crucial.

"We have to be extra careful," Rivera said. "We need a thorough investigation and to follow leads wherever they go."