Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, a 41-year-old Afghan father of six who worked alongside US Army Special Forces for more than a decade in Afghanistan, died on Saturday at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, less than 24 hours after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Richardson, Texas. His death is under active investigation. No cause of death has been determined. A preliminary report from the Dallas County Medical Examiner did not list a cause or manner of death.
The Arrest
Eight masked ICE agents detained Paktiawal at approximately 7 a.m. on Friday, March 13, while he was taking his children to school near his apartment in Richardson, a suburb of Dallas. His brother Naseer Paktiawal told CBS News the children were screaming and asking for help as their father was placed in a vehicle and driven away. Naseer Paktiawal received a call less than 24 hours later that his brother was dead. (CBS News, Texas Tribune)
His Background
Paktiawal began working with US Army Special Forces in 2005 in Afghanistan’s Paktika province and served alongside American forces for more than a decade. He was evacuated to the United States in August 2021 under Operation Allies Refuge, the Biden administration’s program to bring Afghan allies to safety following the US military withdrawal and Taliban takeover. He arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport and was paroled into the US by an immigration officer. His parole expired in August 2025. At the time of his arrest, he had a pending asylum application with the federal government. (Texas Tribune, NBC News)
ICE described Paktiawal as a “criminal illegal alien” in its official press release. The agency cited two arrests last year, one for SNAP fraud in September 2025, a felony charge, and one for theft in November 2025. ICE and DHS did not confirm whether he was convicted of either charge and did not respond to questions on that point. The Texas Tribune reported ICE also did not provide documentation of his military service, stating he provided no record of it at the time of his arrival. His family disputes this. (ICE, Texas Tribune)
What ICE Says Happened
ICE said Paktiawal did not report any prior medical history at the time of processing. Late Friday night, he complained of shortness of breath and chest pains at the ICE Dallas Field Office processing hold room. He was transported to Parkland Hospital, where he received a breathing treatment. An ER doctor recommended he remain for observation. The following morning, hospital staff noted his tongue had become swollen during breakfast. He received an epinephrine drip. CPR was initiated and multiple resuscitation attempts were made before he was declared dead at 9:10 a.m. Saturday. (ICE, CBS News)
The Broader Context
Paktiawal’s death brings the number of in-custody ICE deaths in Texas to at least seven since December.His death is the 12th recorded ICE in-custody death since January 1, 2026, according to immigration tracking data, meaning a detained person has died in ICE custody at an average of once every six days this year. (Texas Tribune, AfghanEvac)
Shawn VanDiver, a US Navy veteran and president of AfghanEvac, a nonprofit that assists Afghan allies, called for an immediate transparent investigation. “It is not normal for a healthy 41-year-old man to die within a day of being taken into government custody,” VanDiver said. “Mr. Paktiawal survived our war in Afghanistan and trusted the United States enough to rebuild his life here.” The Afghan-American Foundation issued a statement saying the US made commitments to its Afghan allies and “Nazeer Paktiawal honored his side of that commitment. Our government must now honor its obligation to him, starting with the truth about how he died.” (NBC News, Yahoo News)
CAIR-Texas executive director Mustafaa Carroll called for a full and transparent investigation, noting the death occurred during the final days of Ramadan. DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement that no one in ICE custody is denied proper medical care and that comprehensive medical services are provided from the moment of arrival. (CBS News)
Why This Matters to You
The United States made a specific and documented commitment to the Afghan men and women who worked alongside American forces. Operation Allies Refuge was a program designed to honor that commitment. Paktiawal was one of the roughly 76,000 Afghans evacuated to the United States under that promise. The circumstances of his death, while unanswered, raise questions that go beyond this individual case.
With ICE in-custody deaths averaging once every six days in 2026, and with the agency ramping up enforcement as part of the administration’s mass deportation program, the question of detention conditions and medical oversight is not theoretical. It is a documented pattern. It is worth thinking about: Should people with pending asylum applications be subject to detention and removal before their cases are resolved? With neither a cause of death nor a confirmed conviction on either of the charges ICE cited, what standard of due process is being applied to individuals in immigration detention? And for the Americans who served alongside Afghan allies in a 20-year war, what does this death say about the commitments the United States makes to those who risk their lives to help it?
-Elijah Iraheta, Editor in Chief, ASC News
