Afghan veteran dies in ICE detention hours after arrest

Tuesday, March, 17 2026 - An Afghan man di£d in a Texas hospital less than a day after being taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, the agency said on Sunday, March 15, prompting calls for an investigation. 

Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, 41, worked alongside US Army Special Forces in Afghanistan and was evacuated in 2021 to the United States where his asylum case remains “pending”, according to AfghanEvac, a group that helped resettle Afghans in the United States. 

ICE said Paktyawal was arrested in a targeted enforcement action on Friday, March 13, and was taken to Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas when he complained of shortness of breath and chest pains. 

“Early March 14, Paktyawal was eating breakfast when medical staff noted that his tongue had become swollen, prompting a medical response. After multiple lifesaving efforts were attempted, he was declared deceased at 9:10 am,” ICE said in a statement. 

The agency did not specify a cause of dea@th and said Paktyawal’s passing “is currently under active investigation”, adding that he did not report any prior medical history upon arrest. 

“AfghanEvac is calling for an immediate and transparent investigation into the circumstances of his detention, medical care, and death, including oversight by the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General and Congress,” the group’s president Shawn VanDiver said. 

Paktyawal was a father of six with the youngest being 18 months old, his family said in a statement shared by AfghanEvac. 

“We still cannot understand how this happened. He was only 41 years old and was a strong and healthy man,” the family said. 

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination denounced ICE last week for “excessive use of force during immigration enforcement operations”, noting that at least eight people have died during ICE operations or in ICE custody since January. 

ICE said Paktyawal entered the United States in August 2021 and that the duration of his parole expired in August 2025. 

The agency added that Paktyawal was arrested twice last year, for fraud and theft related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — which provides food benefits to low-income families for their groceries. 

AfghanEvac said those arrests did not result in criminal charges and that Paktyawal had not been convicted of any crimes, citing currently available information.