Jimeno Bustillo

In a letter first shared with NPR, CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said Nurul Amin Shah Alam did not display signs of distress and his agents observed no disability requiring special assistance.

Shah Alam was a 56-year-old mostly blind Rohingya refugee who was found dead in Buffalo, New York, several days after he was released from immigration custody.

The comments by Scott were made in response to questions from New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

Scott said the Office of Professional Responsibility opened an ongoing investigation and that the Homeland Security Department's inspector general was notified.

Jimena Bustillo, NPR News.