BUFFALO, N.Y. — Rep. Tim Kennedy (D-N.Y.), member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), alongside CAPAC Chair Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) and Ranking Members Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), sent an oversight letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem demanding an immediate and comprehensive federal investigation into the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam in Buffalo, N.Y.
“The tragic death of Mr. Shah Alam is a moral failure that demands answers and a thorough investigation,” said Kennedy. “A man who fled persecution, who was nearly blind, and unable to communicate in English, was left alone in the dead of winter to fend for himself.
“Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident, but rather a predictable result of the culture of cruelty that has taken hold at DHS under Trump and Kristi Noem. His family is owed clarity, and the American people deserve a full accounting of how this happened, and how similar tragedies will be prevented from ever happening again.”
“Nurul Amin Shah Alam should be alive today,” said Meng. “He is dead because U.S. Border Patrol agents abandoned a blind refugee miles away from home and then lied to cover it up. Video footage proves that Mr. Alam was left outside of a coffee shop that was closed, not a ‘warm, safe location’ as they claimed.
“The Department of Homeland Security’s cruelty, callousness, and indifference to human life is absolutely sickening. As members of Congress, we demand answers and justice for his family. The Department of Homeland Security must be held accountable.”
“What happened to Mr. Shah Alam is a heartbreaking failure that raises serious questions DHS must answer for,” said Thompson, ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security. “DHS’ actions were a stunning display of carelessness and cruelty that Congress has a responsibility to fully investigate and ensure never happens again. I thank Congressman Kennedy for leading on this matter.”
“The death of Mr. Shah Alam is the result of at least staggering recklessness and coldhearted indifference,” said Raskin, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee. “It is an American tragedy and an American disgrace. This kind of cruelty is now one more five-alarm wake-up call for a country already reeling from violent deaths caused in American streets by federal agents.
“I salute my colleague Rep. Tim Kennedy on his fierce leadership and determination not to let this catastrophe be swept under any MAGA bureaucrat’s rug.”
Shah Alam, a Rohingya refugee from Myanmar with legal status in the U.S., was reported missing on Feb. 19, shortly after being released from custody and transported by U.S. Border Patrol (USBP). According to publicly available reporting and information provided by his family, he was nearly blind, did not speak English, and was unable to independently navigate transportation. He had fled persecution in Burma and arrived in the U.S. in December 2024 seeking safety.
The letter outlines serious concerns about the circumstances surrounding his release. USBP reportedly transported Shah Alam from Erie County custody and left him at a coffee shop miles from his family’s residence during winter. He was not reunited with family members, and questions remain about what accommodations, if any, were made to account for his severe visual impairment and language barriers. He was found deceased on Feb. 24, several days after he was reported missing.
In the letter, Kennedy and his colleagues demand a full timeline of events and a transparent accounting of DHS policies and actions that may have contributed to this tragedy. The letter makes clear that this case raises broader questions about federal transportation and release practices for vulnerable individuals in custody.
It calls for coordination with state and local officials, full transparency to the public, and accountability where failures occurred.