this post was submitted on 26 Feb 2026
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ICE kills blind man by dropping him off 5 miles from his house after being forced to release him (www.investigativepost.org)
submitted 2 days ago by IndustryStandard@lemmy.world to c/progressivepolitics@lemmy.world
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Shah Alam had been in the Erie County Holding Center since February 2025 after being arrested by Buffalo police. On February 15 last year, he had been out for a walk in his neighborhood and had been using a curtain rod he purchased as a walking stick.

Nearly blind and with no ability to speak English, Shah Alam got lost and ended up on the porch of a woman’s home as she was letting her dog out, according to Macaluso. Shah Alam is completely blind in one eye and can only see with blurry vision for several feet in the other, according to Macaluso.

The woman called police, Macaluso said. When Shah Alam did not follow police commands to drop his curtain rod, they Tasered and beat him, then arrested him, Macaluso said. The officers suffered minor injuries in the scuffle, he said.

A spokesperson for Border Patrol, in a statement Wednesday evening, said after agents determined Shah Alam was not supposed to be in their custody, they “offered him a courtesy ride, which he chose to accept to a coffee shop.” That Tim Hortons, the spokesperson said, was “determined to be a warm, safe location near his last known address, rather than be released directly from the Border Patrol station.”

Agents, however, did not notify Macaluso or Shah Alam’s family of his release to the coffee shop. Macaluso previously told Investigative Post he expected Shah Alam to be taken to the ICE detention center in Batavia and that his client would be released from there.

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[–] JoshuaFalken@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

with innumerable ways to translate speech today

My first thought wouldn't be to call anyone.

If translation doesn't pan out, I suppose trying if any neighbours recognize the language would be the next step. Failing at direct communication, take a vague guess at nationality and call ethnic restaurants to see if anyone has a better idea what the language might be? Better yet, community groups would more than likely understand the urgency of the situation and try to help out.

While the man might have been agitated at being lost and not understood, I seriously doubt he'd have been acting in a threatening manner. Just giving him a bottle of water or a snack might have brought him some comfort and made the situation easier to resolve.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

if any neighbours recognize the language would be the next step. Failing at direct communication, take a vague guess at nationality and call ethnic restaurants to see if anyone has a better idea what the language might

How many neighbors do you know speak Rohingya? How many Rohingya restaurants are in your city?

It's an obscure language even in his native country of Burma. The original incident that resulted in his arrest happened on Feb 15th of 2025. It was below freezing outside. While you are screwing around calling restaurants, he would have died of exposure- just like happened after he was dropped off at a Tim Horton's without notifying his family.

[–] JoshuaFalken@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

While you are screwing around calling restaurants, he would have died of exposure

You pointed out yourself when he was on the doorstep it wasn't a medical emergency. But even so, try to bring him inside, hand him a blanket, get out the space heater, any number of things. I'm suggesting treating a person like a person, not like a problem.

The obscurity of the language isn't exactly relevant as I wouldn't know it was obscure if I didn't speak it. It could have been Polish, but if I'd never heard a Slavic dialect before, it would've been just as uncommon as this man's spoken tongue.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world -1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

wasn't a medical emergency.

Standing outside isn't a medical emergency that would cause an ambulance to show up. If you called they'd transfer you to the police.

Standing outside for hours becomes a medical emergency. You would watch him die rather than call the police.

But even so, try to bring him inside, hand him a blanket,

He's waving a shower rod at you. He's blind and confused.

If he was capable of following directions he would have walked into the police cruiser and been driven home.

The obscurity of the language isn't exactly relevant as I wouldn't know it was obscure if I didn't speak it

It's relevant to your claim that you could have found someone to translate for you.

It is not the woman's fault for contacting the appropriate authorities. Fix your police.

[–] JoshuaFalken@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Standing outside for hours becomes a medical emergency.

While you are screwing around calling restaurants, he would have died of exposure

Why would calling a few places and trying something take hours? What argument is being made with these statements?

He's waving a shower rod at you.

I saw no indication of that in the article, if you have an alternative source to share, please do so. I wrote previously that I seriously doubted this would've been the case. I think this because unless this man was suffering a cognitive impairment or felt he was in danger, he wouldn't be waving his impromptu cane around. Besides, don't you think would have been reported in the article if he had been 'waving' anything at the woman or her dog?

If he was capable of following directions he would have walked into the police cruiser

Now you're just taking the piss. He didn't speak the language the police were saying to him, and in case it's been forgotten - he couldn't even see who was yelling at him. Let me take a page from your book of disingenuous arguments, "How many [police] do you know [that] speak Rohingya?"

I'm sorry to be rude but I've not got an idea why you have interpreted what I've written to indicate I'd watch a person die in the cold rather than make a phone call. Equally as perplexing is why you've now repeated yourself that it's not the woman's fault for calling the police - I specifically wrote in the comment you initially replied to that I didn't think it was her fault.

It's tiring to argue semantics. You and I are, I assume, on the same page in that we wish this man wouldn't have died. I'm not some villain because I wouldn't tried to communicate with man before putting him in a situation with modern day police.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

What argument is being made with these statements?

That you are making excuses for not doing what is done in a normal society: You call the police. That you can't call the police means you need to fix your police.

It's like you own a dog that you let off the leash every day and when it bites somebody, you blame the dog. It's YOUR dog.

I specifically wrote in the comment you initially replied to that I didn’t think it was her fault.

Sorry about that. I'm being dogpiled in replies and not replying to the correct ones.