Afghan immigrant who aided U.S. forces dies in ICE custody in Dallas

Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal , a 41‑year‑old Afghan immigrant who served alongside U.S. forces for more than a decade, died at a Dallas hospital on March 14, less than 24 hours after being taken into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) , his family and advocates said.

Paktyawal’s sudden death has intensified criticism of immigration detention practices in the United States and raised questions about how health needs and immigration histories are evaluated once someone is taken into federal custody.

According to local reports, Paktyawal was apprehended on March 13 near his home in Richardson, Texas, as he was dropping his children off at school. His family and advocacy group #AfghanEvac , which helped resettle him in 2021 after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, say he had a pending asylum application and valid work authorization, and that neither arrest had resulted in convictions.

Federal authorities, however, described him as a “criminal illegal alien,” citing two previous arrests in 2025, one on a felony SNAP benefits fraud allegation and another on a misdemeanor theft accusation connected to unpaid merchandise at a grocery store. ICE said he failed to provide documentation of his military service and that his humanitarian parole, granted when he arrived in the U.S. in August 2021, had expired.

During intake at the Dallas ICE field office, Paktyawal reported shortness of breath and chest pain. He was transported that evening to Parkland Hospital in Dallas, where an emergency room doctor reportedly recommended he remain under observation. The next morning, while eating breakfast, medical staff noted his tongue was swollen and he was given treatment, after which he suffered a medical emergency. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at 9:10 a.m. CDT. A final cause of death has not yet been released by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office .

Paktyawal’s family described him as a healthy, hardworking father who supported his wife and six children, one a U.S. citizen, and expressed shock at his sudden death in ICE custody, demanding an independent investigation. Advocacy groups highlighted systemic failures in recognizing prior U.S. military service, while Shawn VanDiver of #AfghanEvac noted the government’s portrayal contradicted his decade of service. Lawmakers, including U.S. Representative Julie Johnson, pressed ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for answers, raising broader concerns over rising custody deaths. Paktyawal’s death, one of at least a dozen in 2026, underscores the urgent call for oversight and transparency, leaving behind grieving children and a legacy of service to both Afghanistan and the United States.