ICE Detains Afghan Man Who Aided US Forces; He Dies in Dallas Custody

Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, a 41-year-old Afghan father of six who had served as a crucial translator and cultural advisor for U.S. Army Special Forces since 2005 in Paktika province, Afghanistan, died in ICE custody on March 15, 2026.

Paktyawal had worked alongside American military forces for 16 years, providing essential support during the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan.

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He was evacuated to the United States along with his family in August 2021 following the Taliban takeover.

Despite his extensive service to American military operations, Paktyawal remained in limbo with a pending asylum claim while living in the Dallas suburb with his wife and six children.

His case highlights the precarious status many Afghan allies find themselves in years after the U.S. withdrawal.

Paktyawal's detention occurred at approximately 7 a.m. on Friday, March 14, 2026, when eight masked ICE agents surrounded him while he was taking his children to school in Richardson, Texas.

The veteran-led advocacy group AfghanEvac, founded by U.S. Navy veteran Shawn VanDiver to assist Afghans who helped the United States, reported that Paktyawal was taken into custody despite having no criminal record and a pending asylum application.

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According to VanDiver, Paktyawal informed his relatives later that Friday evening that he was not feeling well, and he was subsequently transported to a hospital where he died the following day.

The Dallas County Medical Examiner's office has not yet released a cause or manner of death, leaving the circumstances surrounding his death shrouded in mystery.

This raises serious questions about the treatment of detainees in ICE custody.

Paktyawal's death represents part of a disturbing pattern of rising fatalities within ICE detention facilities, occurring during President Donald Trump's intensified immigration crackdown.

“An Afghan man who had helped the American military in Afghanistan and was currently living in Texas died on Saturday, a day after being taken into custody by U”

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According to statistics reported by advocacy groups, Paktyawal's death marks at least the 12th person to die in ICE custody nationally this year.

In Texas alone, his death brings the total to at least seven in-custody ICE deaths since December 2025.

This trend continues a trajectory of increasing mortality rates, as last year saw 31 people die after being detained by ICE – a figure described as a two-decade high by monitoring organizations.

The agency has become central to Trump's policy of mass deportations, with enforcement actions escalating under the current administration.

In the wake of Paktyawal's death, calls for immediate and transparent investigation have intensified from both advocacy groups and observers of immigrant rights.

Shawn VanDiver, the U.S. Navy veteran who founded AfghanEvac to help Afghans left behind after the U.S. withdrawal, has been particularly vocal in demanding accountability.

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'We don't know what happened,' VanDiver told The Texas Tribune on Sunday, expressing skepticism about the circumstances of Paktyawal's death.

'But it would be pretty weird for a healthy 41-year-old man to die less than 24 hours after being taken into government custody,' VanDiver stated.

Despite these urgent calls for investigation, both ICE and the Department of Homeland Security spokespersons have remained silent, failing to immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the incident.

The death of Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal has significant implications for both the treatment of Afghan allies who assisted U.S. military operations and the broader debate over immigration enforcement practices.

“Afghan asylum seeker dies in ICE custody, US advocacy group says Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, who had worked with the US military in Afghanistan, died in Texas after his arrest on Friday, AfghanEvac said An Afghan immigrant who previously worked with the US military in Afghanistan and later sought asylum in the United States died this weekend in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody less than 24 hours after being detained in Texas, a US veteran-led advocacy group said on Sunday”

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Thousands of Afghans were resettled in Texas and other states after the U.S. military ended its two-decade presence in Afghanistan in 2021.

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Many like Paktyawal had provided critical support to American forces during their time in Afghanistan.

His case underscores the vulnerability of these individuals, who now face deportation despite their past service.

The circumstances of Paktyawal's death raise urgent questions about detention conditions, medical screening, and the overall treatment of asylum seekers in ICE custody.