Blind refugee found dead after Border Patrol dumped him across town from his home: report

A blind refugee in Buffalo was found dead after Border Patrol agents dumped him across town from his house with no means of getting back, according to a report.

According to the nonpartisan Investigative Post, "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. City Hall spokesperson Ian Ott said Shah Alam, 56, was found by B District officers after they responded to a call for a dead body on the first block of Perry Street shortly after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday."

"Shah Alam, a Rohingya refugee, had been missing since February 19," noted the report. "He was released that afternoon from custody at the Erie County Holding Center after posting bail. In response to an immigration detainer that had been placed on him, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office contacted U.S. Border Patrol prior to his release, according to spokesperson Christopher Horvatits."

The Rohingya are a mostly Muslim ethnic minority group in the nation of Burma, also known as Myanmar, who have faced years of ethnic cleansing by the nation's Buddhist majority.

Shah Alam, who spoke little English, was originally arrested by Buffalo Police after he wandered into someone else's home by accident, unable to see where he was going. He was charged with trespassing, as well as possession of a weapon, because of the curtain rod he was using as a walking stick to navigate the street.

Before being released, Shah Alam pleaded guilty to the charges against him, so that the immigration detainer holding him would be lifted.