New York Immigration Coalition and Buffalo Advocates Call For Full Investigation and Passage of New York for All
Photos and videos available here
Buffalo, NY—Today, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), community partners, immigrant New Yorkers, and allies gathered to demand accountability from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol following the death of Buffalo resident and refugee Nurul Shah Alam, and to call for the immediate passage of the New York for All Act.
Alam, who was nearly blind and did not speak English, had been detained at the Erie County Holding Center since February 2025 after becoming lost and mistakenly entering someone else’s porch. After he was released on bail, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office honored an immigration detainer and transferred him to Border Patrol custody. Rather than ensuring his safe return home, agents left Alam at a Tim Horton’s five miles from his residence without notifying his attorney or his family, including his wife and two children. He was found dead days later.
Speakers at today’s rally condemned what they described as inhumane and negligent actions by federal immigration authorities, as well as the collusion between local law enforcement and Border Patrol that placed Alam in federal custody in the first place. Such collusion would be prohibited under the proposed New York for All Act. Advocates emphasized that Alam should never have been placed into immigration enforcement custody, pointing to the Erie County Sheriff’s Office’s decision to honor an immigration detainer and transfer him to Border Patrol.
“Narul Shah Alam should have gone home to his family last week, but instead his loved ones are planning a funeral during Ramadan. When he was released from jail and turned over to Border Patrol, agents treated Alam as disposable. It is inhumane and unconscionable that Border Patrol would abandon a blind man miles away from his home, without contacting anyone about what they had done. This inept and negligent action resulted in a man’s death – a wife left without her husband, and kids left without their father. But let us be clear: Alam should never have been in the hands of Border Patrol in the first place. The Erie County Sheriff colluded with Border Patrol to put Alam into the deportation dragnet. In the City of Good Neighbors, people are supposed to be respected and cared for by our local institutions – especially our most vulnerable. Local police in Buffalo should not be doing Trump’s dirty work. We demand a full investigation into the negligence and bad faith actions of any agency involved in Alam’s death. It is essential that Albany passes New York for All now, to ensure that our local police will always prioritize the safety of our local residents instead of colluding with ICE and CBP to meet an agenda that is literally killing our neighbors,” said Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, the New York Immigration Coalition.
“The family of Nurul Amin Shah Alam and our community deserve answers on the events that led to his death. I am deeply disturbed by reports that after taking him into custody, Border Patrol agents left Mr. Shah Alam at a Tim Hortons, miles from his home, without notifying his family or attorney before he was found dead. If true, this is absolutely unacceptable. The Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, and local law enforcement must provide a full accounting of what has occurred and ensure this never happens again,” said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
“The death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam should shock all of us. A man who fled persecution from Myanmar, only to die on the streets of Buffalo, New York. Mr. Alam’s death was completely unnecessary and we, as a society, seem to be losing human empathy and Mr. Alam’s death is a prime example of that. I join my fellow elected officials across our region to echo Congressman Kennedy’s call for a thorough investigation into the series of events that led to this tragedy. My thoughts are with Mr. Alam’s family at this time,” said Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, District 141.
“I am appalled by the tragic death of Buffalo resident Nurul Amin Shah Alam. He came to this country seeking a better life with his wife and two sons, but instead was wrongfully detained by Border Patrol, released without notice to his family, and left vulnerable in the streets while nearly blind and with limited abilities to speak English. The failure to notify his family and the apparent disregard for his vulnerability is unacceptable. I stand with my colleagues in calling for local, state, and federal authorities to conduct a full and transparent investigation into how this happened and for lawmakers in Albany to pass the New York For All Act, of which I am a co-sponsor. My heart of sorrow is with Mr. Shah Alam's family and loved ones as they grieve this unimaginable loss,” said State Senator April N.M. Baskin, District 63.
“Mr. Shah Alam’s death under these circumstances has shaken Buffalo’s refugee and immigrant communities and raised serious concerns about accountability, civil rights protections, and the obligations government agencies owe to individuals in their custody. The public deserves transparency, and Mr. Shah Alam’s family deserves answers. Only an independent investigation can restore public confidence and ensure that such a tragic failure of systems and safeguards never occurs again,” said Assemblymember Jonathan Rivera, District 149.
"Buffalo and Erie County have a long-established reputation of being welcoming communities to all, especially to immigrants. The death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, the missing blind Rohingya refugee, after he was released from U.S. Border Patrol's custody should not have occurred. The circumstances leading up to and surrounding his death must be investigated to the fullest extent to determine how this happened and ensure nothing similar happens again to another,” said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
“The death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam demands accountability. Our community deserves clear answers, full transparency, and justice for his loved ones. I am calling for an independent investigation into the actions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and meaningful accountability where failures occurred. We must also push back against federal overreach, including the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, that erode trust and threaten the safety of our neighbors. New York must remain a place where everyone is treated with dignity and guaranteed due process under the law. I am committed to working with my colleagues and partners, including the New York Immigration Coalition to advance real protections and ensure this never happens again,” said State Senator Jeremy Zellner, District 61.
"A family is grieving. A community is carrying shock and anger, and many of our immigrant neighbors are carrying fear. We are left with a hard truth: when systems fail to work together, the consequences are irreversible. She states that immigration policy, local policing, incarceration practices, language access, disability awareness, and community-based responses are not separate conversations. They are all connected and when they collide instead of aligning, risk increases and lives are put in danger. She believes that if community responders had been integrated into crisis response from the beginning; fully funded, fully operational, fully embedded the outcome might have been different. They are trained to see what others might miss; the panic behind the gestures, the confusion behind the words, the fear behind the silence. What has happened to Nurul Amin Shah cannot be undone. But we can decide what happens next. Buffalo has the capacity to build a public safety model that reduces fear instead of amplifying it. One where immigration policy, policing practices, incarceration alternatives, language access, and community-based response all move in the same direction. Let us choose coordination over collision. Let us choose prevention over reaction. Let us choose life,” said Janayia Capers, Community Responder Coordinator, Buffalo Center for Health Equity.
"Inhumane releases from DHS custody, whether by CBP in Buffalo or from ICE custody at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility, show how little these agencies value the safety and well-being of vulnerable migrants. Sadly, Mr. Shah Alam's treatment is not an isolated incident. JFMF grieves his loss and honors the community’s rightful anger at every action and inaction that led to his untimely death. We will continue to advocate for the passage of NY4All, which would end the collaboration between local and federal agencies which contributed to the catastrophic consequences in Mr. Shah Alam's case,” said Jennifer Connor, Executive Director, Justice For Migrant Families
“Nurul Amin Shah Alam’s death was avoidable. It is time for our elected officials to make real change by implementing the life saving protections that we have been repeatedly advocating for. It is time to pass NY4ALL, to have independent law enforcement accountability, and impose language access in Western New York,” said Shontay Barnes, Advocacy & Impact Manager, Partnership for the Public Good.
“The death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam demands accountability. Our community deserves clear answers, full transparency, and justice for his loved ones. I am calling for an independent investigation into the actions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and meaningful accountability where failures occurred. We must also push back against federal overreach, including the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, that erode trust and threaten the safety of our neighbors. New York must remain a place where everyone is treated with dignity and guaranteed due process under the law. I am committed to working with my colleagues and partners, including the New York Immigration Coalition to advance real protections and ensure this never happens again,” said Imran Fazal, Rohingya Empowerment Community.
“Nurul Shah Alam is dead not because of an accident, but because he was handed over to an immigration enforcement system that cannot be trusted with the lives of New Yorkers. If the New York for All Act had been the law of the land, Mr. Shah Alam would be alive today. He would be home with his family,” said Brian Brown-Cashdollar, Executive Director, Western New York Council on Occupational Safety and Health.