The family of Nurul Amin Shah Alam – a blind Rohingya refugee whose death shocked Western New York – is continuing its push for answers, urging Erie County lawmakers to examine the actions taken by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office in the days leading up to his death.
On Wednesday, June 17th, family members of Alam joined State Assemblymember Jon Rivera at Old County Hall to deliver a petition containing more than 700 signatures calling on the Erie County Legislature to investigate why Alam was transferred from local custody to federal immigration authorities upon his release.
The petition asks legislators to publicly question officials about the circumstances that led to Alam being turned over to U.S. Border Patrol and what role, if any, local authorities played in the chain of events that preceded his death…