Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, a 41-year-old Afghan immigrant, became the 12th person to die in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility this year. Paktyawal, a father of six, who had worked with U.S. troops in Paktika province in Afghanistan starting in 2005, died in an ICE facility in Texas.
Paktyawal died less than 24 hours after ICE agents detained him while he was getting ready to take his kids to school on Friday, March 13. He had reportedly applied for U.S. asylum.
The U.S. government reportedly evacuated Paktyawal and his family from Afghanistan in August 2021, when American troops withdrew from the country after the Taliban came to power. He worked at a halal market in the Dallas area and was the primary provider for his wife and children.
Afghan asylum-seeker dies in ICE custody, US advocacy group says https://t.co/6c85VGy9gP https://t.co/6c85VGy9gP
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 15, 2026
According to Rahmanullah Zazy, a close acquaintance and leader of a local Afghan community, Paktyawal found himself being approached by masked men who put him in handcuffs.
In a conversation with NBC News, Zazy revealed, “His kids started crying and yelling, you know, screaming.” Paktyawal’s wife reportedly pleaded with the ICE agents not to take him away, but to no avail.
ICE has released an official statement identifying Paktyawal as a “criminal illegal alien from Afghanistan with previous arrests for fraud and theft.” It stated, “(He) passed away March 14 at the Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas.
A physician at the hospital declared Paktyawal deceased at 9:10 a.m. Central Daylight Time. He had been in ICE custody for one day. His passing is currently under active investigation,” before listing all the past criminal charges against him.
The statement, however, omitted Paktyawal’s military service.
Authorities said that Paktyawal started complaining about shortness of breath and chest pain late Friday (March 13) and was immediately taken to a hospital. According to the ICE report, he received necessary treatment and stayed overnight at the hospital for observation.
The next morning, the medical staff noticed that Paktyawal’s tongue had swollen up. He passed away soon after.
This is unforgivable:
Afghan who fought with US special forces — and was legally evacuated to the U.S. — dies in ICE custody https://t.co/KPBRszix5x
— Amy Spitalnick (@amyspitalnick) March 15, 2026
Paktyawal’s relatives claimed that he had no health troubles, at least to their knowledge. They revealed that Paktyawal had spoken to them from the ICE facility and said that he was not feeling well.
AfghanEvac, an investigative group from San Diego, has requested a thorough investigation into his death. Members of the group believe that it is not normal for a 41-year-old healthy individual who served in the military to die like this. Shawn VanDiver, the group’s president, has issued a statement.
VanDiver said, “Mr. Paktyawal survived our war in Afghanistan and trusted the United States enough to rebuild his life here. His family deserves answers. The American public deserves answers. The U.S. service members who fought alongside Afghan partners deserve answers.”
