Weekly Brief March 3: Domestic Militarization Watch

March 3, 2026  

🚩Blind Refugee Abandoned by Border Patrol Dies in Buffalo, Leaders Call for Investigation

• A blind, Rohingya refugee was found dead in downtown Buffalo on Feb. 25, after being abandoned by immigration agents at a coffee shop miles from his home.
• Nurul Amin Shah Alam, who was in the U.S. legally, was tasered, beaten, and wrongfully arrested by Buffalo police, then turned over to Border Patrol agents, who after determining that ICE had agreed not to detain and deport him, dropped him off at a Tim Horton’s, without notifying his family or legal representation, prompting them to file a missing persons report.
• Shah Alam, who was nearly blind and spoke no English, was missing for 5 days before Buffalo police found his body. 
• Now, Democratic Congressional leaders and Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan are calling for an investigation into the Border Patrol, stating their actions were a “profound failure of duty and basic human decency that cost a man his life.” However, advocacy groups say the blame lies equally with the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and Border Patrol (Investigative Post, 26 Feb. 2026).

🚩U.S. Citizen Shot and Killed by Federal Immigration Agent, Records Hidden for Nearly a Year

• Newly released records reveal that Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent during a late-night traffic encounter on March 15, 2025. 
• Despite the fatal incident occurring nearly a year ago, the DHS did not publicly disclose the officer-involved shooting until a records request was filed through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
• Details from the heavily-redacted, internal report provided by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conflict with statements made by local Texas police who were working alongside ICE during the enforcement operation
• According to DHS, officials reportedly completed an investigative report in October, but the case remains under review and may be presented to a grand jury to determine whether criminal charges are warranted. The federal government has not explained why the officer-involved shooting was not publicly disclosed for nearly eleven months (The Guardian, 20 Feb. 2026).

🪖National Guard Deployment in New Orleans Extended for Six Months 

• Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry announced that the U.S. Department of War has authorized a six-month extension of about 120 Louisiana National Guard troops in New Orleans. State and local leaders described the deployment as a partnership between federal, state, and local agencies to strengthen public safety.
• Landry credited Donald Trump and federal officials for backing the extended mission, arguing that Guard deployments help cities address violent crime, although officials report that crime in New Orleans reached its lowest level in decades prior to the deployment (NBC News, 2 Mar. 2026).

🛑DHS Shutdown Enters Week Three, Noem to Testify 

• The White House and congressional Democrats remain locked in negotiations over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, continuing the partial government shutdown into its third week. 
• Democratic lawmakers have pushed for policy reforms and oversight measures driven by concerns over aggressive immigration enforcement tactics and fatal shootings by ICE agents since the beginning of Trump’s second term.
• The Trump administration has repeatedly resisted the offers brought by Congressional Democrats, with the latest counteroffer from the White House sent on Friday. (PBS, 27 Feb. 2026).
• Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is set to testify this week at two separate congressional oversight hearings, her first time facing lawmakers since the fatal shooting of two Americans in Minnesota helped spark the funding showdown over the administration’s approach to immigration enforcement (CNBC, 27 Feb. 2026).