AILSA CHANG, HOST:
People in Buffalo, New York, are searching for answers after a blind refugee was found dead Tuesday night. This was several days after he was released from federal custody. The man's family and Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan have heavily criticized how the U.S. Border Patrol handled the situation. Alex Simone of Buffalo Toronto Public Media has been covering the story and joins us now. Hi, Alex.
ALEX SIMONE, BYLINE: Thanks for having me.
CHANG: Well, I understand that this man, he was not only blind, but he also didn't speak English, is that right? What else do we know about him?
SIMONE: His name was Nurul Amin Shah Alam, and his - he was a 56-year-old Rohingya man who was seeking asylum in the U.S. He was released from custody by Erie County officials after pleading guilty to state charges of trespassing and a weapons charge related to a curtain rod he apparently used as a cane.
CHANG: And I understand that after he got out of custody on those criminal charges, he was then picked up by federal agents?
SIMONE: Right. So he was held for a year by the county, then, February 19, released into the custody of Border Patrol. They tried taking Alam to an ICE facility 40 minutes away, but ICE didn't want him, so he was released in Buffalo. It isn't unusual for ICE to hold people for a period of time and then let them go, but this man was blind and spoke no English.
CHANG: Right. And I understand that Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan had some pretty strong words at a press conference earlier today. What did he say about what had unfolded?
SIMONE: Right, Sean Ryan has been highly critical of Border Patrol and ICE, recently issuing an executive order that no city employees can assist with any federal employees. In this case, he says Border Patrol is lacking in protocol, as evidenced by how they dropped off Alam.
(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)
SEAN RYAN: And then the Border Patrol officers had no protocol of what to do with a disabled man who doesn't speak English, who is confused and lost. And you know what they did? They dropped him at a closed coffee shop.
CHANG: Well, does the Border Patrol agree with the mayor's explanation of what happened?
SIMONE: According to a statement from Border Patrol, the department was alerted on February 19 to a, quote, "noncitizen in custody of Erie County Sheriff's Office." Agents offered him a ride to a coffee shop near his last determined location, which he accepted, rather than being released directly from the Border Patrol station. They deny seeing any sign of distress, disability or impairment that would require assistance. But despite needing a cane to walk and being visually impaired, Buffalo police found Alam's body about five miles from where he was dropped off by Border Patrol, though it was in the direction of his home. He was found dead Tuesday night, six days after he'd been dropped off by Border Patrol. Family friend Khaleda Shah says the issues started a year ago when he was first arrested for mistakenly wandering onto a property that wasn't his. She says refugees like herself and Alam fled their countries because they felt unsafe.
KHALEDA SHAH: They came here seeking home, and home killed them. United States was home for them, and home killed them. We did not do our part.
SIMONE: I spoke with Shah at a funeral service held for Alam this afternoon in Buffalo.
CHANG: This is so tragic. It seems like there's still so much more to learn about what happened to Alam while his family was out looking for him.
SIMONE: Yeah. Well, it had originally been reported by Buffalo police that he had died of a health condition. They attributed that to the county health department, but now we don't actually have the official cause of death. The health department and the coroner's office are saying it's still open for investigation.
CHANG: That is Alex Simone of Buffalo Toronto Public Media. Thank you so much.
SIMONE: You're welcome and thank you for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.