A group of Democratic lawmakers held a press conference in Buffalo demanding that the Department of Homeland Security provide records and cooperate with a local investigation into the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old Rohingya refugee. The group included New York Representative Tim Kennedy, Mississippi Representative Bennie Thompson, California Representative Lou Correa, and New Jersey Representative Nellie Pou.
Shah Alam, who was nearly blind and spoke little English, was released from the Erie County holding center on 19 February and placed into the custody of US border patrol agents. Hours later, agents left him outside a closed coffee shop. His family and attorneys were not informed of his whereabouts. Five days later, Shah Alam was discovered dead approximately four miles away from where he had been left.
The Erie County medical examiner ruled his death a homicide in April, determining that he died from complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer precipitated by hypothermia and dehydration. Kennedy stated that DHS had not provided meaningful records to his office, New York Attorney General Tish James, or the Erie County district attorney. Thompson argued that if DHS had nothing to hide, it should cooperate fully with local law enforcement.
New York Attorney General Letitia James opened a formal investigation in March but closed the criminal investigation in August, citing the refusal of US Customs and Border Protection to cooperate. A formal letter requesting agent identifications and records including body-worn camera footage was declined by CBP. The investigation was subsequently referred to the Erie County district attorney.
Kennedy introduced the DHS Release Transparency Act in June, which would require immigration authorities to notify a detainee’s designated family member or attorney before release and provide information about the location where the individual is being released.
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