Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal, a 41-year-old Afghan who fought alongside Us forces for 10 years, died this week shortly after being taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in Texas, Reuters reported. His family said he had been legally evacuated to the United States after the fall of Kabul and had been living and working in the Dallas area.
Paktyawal was preparing to drive his children to school earlier this month when ICE agents in unmarked vehicles allegedly surrounded him and arrested him in front of his six kids, one of whom is an American citizen.
Later that day, he contacted family members from custody, saying he wasn’t feeling well. At midnight, he was reportedly admitted to Parkland Hospital in Dallas. By around noon the next day, his family was informed that he had died. “It is highly unusual for an otherwise healthy 41-year-old man to die less than a day after being taken into government custody,” VanDiver said.
ICE responds
ICE said that Paktyawal was eating breakfast when staff noticed that his tongue had become swollen. Medical staff responded immediately and tried to resuscitate him multiple times, but he was declared dead. The agency said it is “committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments.”
Afghan veteran dies in ICE custody
According to The Independent, Paktyawal had been employed at an Afghan bakery and had a pending asylum case, including a completed interview with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), according to #AfghanEvac.
In Texas, Paktyawal worked at an Afghan halal market and supported his entire family, including an 18-month-old infant. He lived in Richardson, Texas, and was described as the family’s primary provider. “This man fought alongside US forces for years and was doing everything right,” VanDiver said.
Shawn VanDiver, president of the advocacy group #AfghanEvac, spoke with The Independent about the death. “It’s unacceptable,” he said. “This man fought our war for 10 years. He had six kids, one of whom is an American citizen. He was brought here by the United States of America. He’s been working hard in Texas, paying taxes… He was doing everything right.”
VanDiver is calling for an independent investigation. Speaking to the media outlet, he expressed deep mistrust of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), saying, “This is the problem with DHS when you can’t trust a thing they say. They lie every day. Chances are, the first thing they tell us is going to be a lie.”
He added that Paktyawal and other Afghans may have been targeted because of their heritage, as part of President Donald Trump’s push for unprecedented deportations.
Paktyawal is survived by his wife and six children, including one US citizen. His death has sparked calls for justice, especially for those who served alongside U.S. forces and were legally evacuated to the country.
Deaths in ICE Custody reach record levels
According to Reuters, Paktyawal is at least the 12th person to die in ICE custody this year under President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Last year, 31 people died while detained by ICE, a two-decade high, Reuters reported. Experts say the administration is on track for the deadliest year in ICE detention in more than 20 years. The number of people in ICE detention has reached record levels, with roughly 68,000 in custody as of early February.
Speaking to the Independent, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, said, “This is the 12th death in ICE custody in the first 2.5 months of the year. Last year, 30 people died in ICE custody, a record level. This year, we’re on pace for just under twice that amount.”
The Trump administration has aggressively enforced immigration arrests and detention. Reports say Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller and outgoing Secretary Kristi Noem pushed for agents to arrest 3,000 people per day. The 2025 immigration plan, called “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” allocated billions of dollars to expand detention capacity.
As of last month, nearly 70,000 people were being held in immigration detention centres across the US These facilities have faced repeated accusations of medical neglect and unsafe conditions, Independent reported.
The state of these detention centres is expected to be a key topic during the confirmation hearings for Senator Markwayne Mullin, Republican of Oklahoma, who has been nominated by the Trump administration to replace Noem at DHS. The agency is currently facing a funding freeze as Democrats push for immigration enforcement reforms.