Unassigned

DHS Responds to Story of Nearly Blind Refugee Found Dead After Being 'Abandoned' by CBP

The Left is outraged over so many things this week, from hockey to the State of the Union address, that it's hard to know where to start. One story that has gone viral online is about a refugee who died soon after being "abandoned" by the Border Patrol miles from his home. Here's FactPost, which is run by the crew who used to run Kamala HQ, and several others.

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Homicide?

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"On the side of the road."

"… disturbing."

Let's hear what CNN has to say:

The death of a nearly blind refugee in Buffalo, New York, days after Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a coffee shop alone, has prompted an investigation into the circumstances of his final days and drawn sharp criticism from the mayor, who called the incident “deeply disturbing.”

Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, who spoke little English, had been missing since February 19, when the agents left him at the shop shortly after he was released from the Erie County jail, officials said. His body was found five days later, around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, about four miles from the coffee shop, the Buffalo Police Department said.

“Homicide detectives are investigating the circumstances and timeframe of events leading up to his death, following his release from custody,” the police department said in a statement.

… 

The Erie County Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy and determined Shah Alam’s cause of death was health‑related. Exposure and homicide have been ruled out, Buffalo city spokesperson Nick Beiling said.

Shah Alam, a refugee from Myanmar, had spent much of the previous year in custody awaiting trial on criminal charges that were ultimately resolved with a misdemeanor plea deal, Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane told CNN in a statement Thursday.

A police report obtained by CNN affiliate WGRZ showed Shah Alam was being held on two counts of assault with intent to cause injury to an officer, a count of possession of a weapon and trespassing, among other charges, before a plea deal was reached.

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The Department of Homeland Security has responded to CNN, The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof, The Bulwark's Sam Stein, and others.

The post continues:

… agents offered him a courtesy ride, which he chose to accept to a coffee shop, determined to be a warm, safe location near his last known address, rather than be released directly from the Border Patrol station.

He showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance.

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The post continues:

… through 5 miles of snow? 3. What did they expect him to do when the coffee shop closed? 4. How did they determine that a blind man needing a cane had no "mobility issues or disabilities"? 5. In the circumstances, why not notify the police or his family rather than dump him 5 miles from home? 6. Have you verified your information any better than when you declared that Alex Pretti and Renee Good were domestic terrorists?

"Presumably had no phone or money." Why would Kristof assume that?

There certainly should be an investigation into the man's death, but the story has morphed into the Border Patrol dropping him by the roadside, after which he died of exposure while trying to walk five miles home. Why didn't the Border Patrol just drop him at his home if it was only five miles away?

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CNN reported that a city spokesperson said that "exposure and homicide have been ruled out," but Buffalo police have opened a homicide investigation? He didn't speak English, but he spoke little English? We're not getting the whole story here.

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