Governor Kathy Hochul says she and other state officials are reviewing what options are available to hold accountable those who released a disabled Rohingya refugee alone at a closed coffee shop, rather than under safer circumstances.
On February 19, Nurul Amin Shah Alam had been released from Erie County custody upon the conclusion of a year-long trespassing case which ended with a guilty plea to misdemeanor counts. He was then taken into federal custody but Customs and Border Protection soon realized they did not have any legal reason to keep him.
Alam was dropped off at a Tim Hortons location off Niagara Street in Buffalo’s Black Rock section. The business had already been closed for the night, and Alam’s family was not made aware of his location. His body was discovered February 24 miles away on Perry Street.
“You all know the facts. They're chilling, to know what happened to this individual in a very cold time, to be left alone with no recourse, no hope of getting home, and when our federal government makes a decision to release someone from its custody, it has a responsibility to do so safely and with clear communication. That clearly did not happen here,” Hochul said.
The governor announced she will be meeting with Alam’s wife and sons, individuals she said are grieving and deserve answers.
“We all want answers to how this could have happened, and we're reviewing every available avenue to understand what happened and ensure there's full accountability,” Hochul said. “Our Attorney General and others who are looking to find out how this can be investigated.”
In the meantime, Hochul’s criticism of Alam’s case goes straight to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its head, Secretary Kristi Noem. The governor noted that in addition to leaving Alam by himself, they left him still dressed in holding center attire, including only socks and jailhouse slippers on his feet, on a cold winter night.
“Who does that? And if this is now what the federal government is going to be considering acceptable, then their agency is further gone than I thought,” Hochul said. “If the Department of Homeland Security thinks that this is now how they should do things, because if they don't think it's okay, then why aren't they calling for an investigation? Where is Kristi Noem’s outrage? Why isn't she saying the people involved in that should be fired? (That) they should never be able to work for us again? Where is that outrage from them, and why is it only coming from people like ourselves? As a state, I'm going to continue sounding the alarm and call out what we see here.”
