ICE Detains Afghan asylum seeker Paktyawal; He Dies in Texas Custody.

Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal, a 41-year-old Afghan veteran who served alongside U.S. military forces for over a decade, died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in Texas less than 24 hours after his arrest.

“An Afghan man who served alongside US special forces and fled his native country after its takeover by the Taliban died over the weekend shortly after being detained by immigration authorities, according to his family and an advocacy group”

CNN

The former Afghan special forces soldier had worked with U.S. Army Special Forces since 2005 in Paktika province, Afghanistan, before being evacuated with his family to the United States in August 2021 following the U.S. withdrawal and Taliban takeover.

CNN

Paktyawal was living in Richardson, Texas, with his wife and six children while his asylum application remained pending in the U.S. immigration system.

He had been working at an Afghan halal market to support his family, including an 18-month-old infant.

His death represents the tragic end of a former ally who trusted the United States after helping American forces during the two-decade war in Afghanistan.

Paktyawal was arrested by ICE agents on Friday morning, March 13, 2026, in a dramatic scene outside his Richardson home while he was preparing to drive his children to school.

Eight masked federal agents surrounded him and took him into custody, with his six children witnessing the arrest.

Daijiworld

The enforcement operation was characterized by ICE as a "targeted enforcement action" based on Paktyawal's 2025 arrests for SNAP fraud and theft, though advocates clarified that he had never been convicted of these charges.

The agency also noted that his parole had expired in August 2025, but AfghanEvac stated that Paktyawal held valid work authorization and had a pending asylum case at the time of his detention.

This contradiction between ICE's enforcement rationale and Paktyawal's legal status highlights the controversial nature of his arrest under the Trump administration's intensified immigration crackdown.

Paktyawal's death occurred under suspicious medical circumstances while in ICE custody.

“A 41-year-old Afghan asylum seeker who previously served alongside U”

Fine Day 102.3

Shortly after his arrest, he began experiencing medical issues, complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath while being held at the ICE Dallas Field Office.

Late on Friday evening, he was transported to Parkland Hospital in Dallas where an emergency room doctor recommended he stay for observation.

The situation took a turn for the worse on Saturday morning when medical staff noticed that Paktyawal's tongue had become severely swollen while he was eating breakfast.

Despite immediate medical response and multiple attempts at resuscitation, he was declared dead at 9:10 a.m. Central time.

The Dallas County Medical Examiner's preliminary report listed no cause or manner of death, leaving unanswered questions about why a seemingly healthy 41-year-old man would die so quickly after being taken into custody.

ICE later stated that Paktyawal had not reported any prior medical history at the time of arrest and processing.

Paktyawal's death is part of a troubling pattern of increasing fatalities in ICE custody, occurring amid record-high detention populations under the Trump administration's immigration policies.

His death marks at least the 12th in-custody death this year, continuing an alarming trend that saw 31 people die in ICE custody during 2025—a two-decade high.

FOX 4 News Dallas

According to data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), ICE detention levels have surged to unprecedented numbers, with 68,289 people in custody on February 7, 2026, compared to approximately 32,743 in late August 2023.

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has also denounced ICE for "excessive use of force during immigration enforcement operations," noting that at least eight people have died during ICE operations or in custody since January.

This context raises serious questions about the adequacy of medical care and overall conditions in the expanding detention system.

Paktyawal's death has triggered grief and outrage within the Afghan diaspora community and among refugee advocates, with widespread calls for independent investigation.

Family members described Paktyawal as a "hero" who was devoted to his children, with one brother stating simply, "He was here, and he just got killed in less than 24 hours."

Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Rahmanullah Zazy, a leader in the Dallas-area Afghan community who knew Paktyawal, expressed the community's profound sense of loss: "They're saying they took our community member alive to the detention center, and now we are getting the dead body. We want peace."

The advocacy group AfghanEvac, led by U.S. Navy veteran Shawn VanDiver, has been vocal in demanding transparency, with VanDiver stating, "It is highly unusual for an otherwise healthy 41-year-old man to die less than a day after being taken into government custody."

In response to the tragedy, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General has been called upon to conduct an independent investigation, though ICE has defended its practices, claiming that "no one in ICE custody is denied access to proper medical care" and that medical services are comprehensive.