A narrative has spread alleging a tragic injustice: that U.S. immigration authorities caused the death of a blind Rohingya refugee. The story, amplified across social media and mainstream news, paints a picture of callous indifference, claiming ICE abandoned Nurul Amin Shah Alam miles from home, leading to his demise in the cold. But the reality, obscured by emotional appeals, is far more complex and reveals a very different sequence of events.
Central to the widely circulated account is the claim that ICE arrested Alam because they misidentified his walking stick – a simple curtain rod – as a weapon. This detail, repeated relentlessly, suggests an unwarranted and cruel act of aggression. However, this overlooks a crucial fact: ICE wasn’t involved in the initial arrest. The responsibility lay with Customs and Border Protection, an agency focused on enforcement near U.S. borders, responding to a local request from the Erie County Sheriff’s Office.
Nurul Amin Shah Alam arrived in the United States on December 24, 2024, seeking refuge. Within weeks, on February 15, 2025, his life took a dramatic turn. He was arrested on charges of assault, trespassing, and criminal possession of a weapon, and spent the following year in the Erie County Holding Center. The arrest wasn’t random; it stemmed from a specific incident that brought him into conflict with the law.
The trespassing charge arose from an encounter in a Buffalo neighborhood. Alam was discovered on a homeowner’s porch, holding a long metal curtain rod. The homeowner, understandably alarmed by a stranger’s presence and the object he carried, contacted the police. This wasn’t a case of a visually impaired man simply navigating his surroundings; he was on private property, wielding an object that prompted a reasonable fear of harm.
The subsequent assault and weapon charges involved the responding Buffalo Police officers. When asked to drop the rod, Alam reportedly refused, escalating the situation. While his family later attributed this to his limited vision and English proficiency, their account is secondary to the facts on the ground. Officers were confronted with a potentially dangerous situation and acted accordingly.
The police report details a physical altercation, with Alam allegedly biting one of the officers. To suggest this act was a result of language barriers strains credulity. The officers sustained minor injuries, and the curtain rod was classified as a dangerous instrument during the struggle. Following the incident, police discovered Alam’s refugee identification and alerted federal authorities, leading to an ICE detainer.
After nearly a year in jail, a plea agreement was reached. Alam pleaded guilty to reduced charges of Criminal Possession of a Weapon and Criminal Trespass. Prosecutors cited his lack of prior criminal history and medical condition as factors in the decision. On February 19, 2026, he was released from county custody and transferred to U.S. Border Patrol as per the detainer.
Within hours, Border Patrol determined Alam was a lawful refugee and not subject to deportation. Contrary to claims of neglect, there was no legal obligation to notify his family or attorney upon his release. There’s also no evidence he was prevented from contacting them. Agents provided a ride to a Tim Hortons on Niagara Street, approximately five miles from his home – a courtesy, not a requirement.
The assertion that he died because he couldn’t navigate the distance from Tim Hortons to his home is also questionable. The original arrest location was only slightly closer to his residence. He had previously demonstrated the ability to travel a similar distance on foot. The circumstances suggest a tragic, health-related event, not a consequence of being left stranded.
The Erie County Medical Examiner’s ruling confirmed this, stating that Alam’s death was health-related, explicitly ruling out homicide or exposure. The evidence simply does not support the narrative of deliberate mistreatment or negligence by ICE or CBP. This case, stripped of its emotional layers, reveals a series of unfortunate events, but not a deliberate act of cruelty.
The facts demonstrate that neither ICE nor CBP bears responsibility for Nurul Amin Shah Alam’s death. No laws were broken, and no rights were violated. The story, as it circulated, was a distortion of events, fueled by pre-conceived notions and a desire to fit a particular narrative.
