Five days later, his body was found dead around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in downtown Buffalo, about 4 miles from the establishment. He died while he was trying to return home in the city, which is located near the border with Canada and where temperatures have been below zero for several days.
“A vulnerable man, almost blind and not knowing English, was abandoned on a cold winter night without being known to be allowed to reach a safe place. “That decision by U.S. Customs and Border Protection was unprofessional and inhumane,” Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan, in a statement. The mayor described Shah Alam’s death as “preventable”, assured that the police were “investigating the circumstances” and insisted that it be the immigration agency that “answers how and why this happened.” For now, the medical examiner has determined that the cause of death was “health related”ruling out a homicide.
For now, Border Patrol – who has been granted special powers by President Donald Trump to carry out mass deportations – said in a statement that, after determining that Shah Alam should not remain in their custody, “they offered him a courtesy ride, which he accepted to a coffee shop.”
ICE agents in Minneapolis, during an intervention this January.
Reuters
According to the spokesperson, it was chosen Tim Hortons (a chain specialized in donuts) because it was a warm and safe place near his last known address, rather than releasing him directly from the Border Patrol station. “He showed no signs of distress, mobility problems or disabilities requiring special assistance,” the statement explains.
However, the officers did not inform either his lawyer or Shah Alam’s family about his release in the cafeteria, as reported Investigative PostBuffalo local media. His relatives expected him to be transferred to an ICE detention center, where they thought he would be released. Instead, the family She spent several days looking for him before reporting him missing.. “No one told me, nor my family, nor my lawyer where they left my father,” he denounced Reuters Mohamad Faisal, one of Shah Alam’s sons, who maintains that his father “did not read, nor write, nor used electronic devices”.
“A misunderstanding”
According to the Erie County Prosecutor’s Office, Shah Alam had been arrested just under a year ago.following an incident that resulted in minor injuries to two officers of the Police from buffalo. It was initially accused of crimes such as assault, burglary and possession of weapons. This month, it was position out on bail this month after accept a plea deal.
According to his son, the arrest was due to “a misunderstanding”. Apparently, Shah Alam, with little knowledge of English, had gone for a walk with a curtain rod that he bought to use as a cane, since he could barely see with one eye. He got lost and entered a neighbor’s property who called the Police. When authorities told him to lower the bar, he did not understand them and was arrested.