An Afghan immigrant who worked with U.S. forces in Afghanistan and later sought asylum in the United States has died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody less than 24 hours after being detained in Texas, a U.S. veteran-led advocacy group reported on Sunday.
Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, 41, was arrested outside his apartment in a Dallas suburb on Friday morning while taking his children to school, according to Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac. Paktyawal lived with his wife and six children while his asylum case was pending.
VanDiver said Paktyawal died of unknown causes on Saturday, prompting calls for an immediate investigation. “It is highly unusual for an otherwise healthy 41-year-old man to die less than a day after being taken into government custody,” he said.
Paktyawal is at least the 12th person to die in ICE detention this year under former President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Last year, 31 deaths in ICE custody were recorded, a two-decade high. ICE has played a central role in Trump’s policies of mass deportations.
ICE said in a statement that Paktyawal was eating breakfast when medical staff noted that his tongue had swollen, prompting a response. Despite multiple resuscitation attempts, he was declared dead. The agency emphasized that it “is committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments.”
VanDiver said the family was informed that Paktyawal had been taken to a Dallas hospital on the night of his arrest and was still alive the following morning, only to die shortly afterward.
Paktyawal, a former Afghan special forces soldier who worked alongside U.S. Army Special Forces since 2005, was evacuated from Afghanistan with his family in 2021 following the U.S. withdrawal. He had been employed in the Dallas area at an Afghan halal market and was the primary provider for his family, including an 18-month-old infant.
The number of people detained by ICE has reached record levels during Trump-era immigration enforcement, with about 68,000 in custody as of early February.
Following the Taliban takeover in 2021, more than 70,000 Afghans entered the U.S. under the Operation Allies Welcome program initiated under former President Joe Biden. U.S. authorities under Trump have sought to end temporary protected status for some 14,600 Afghans, putting them at risk of deportation.
AfghanEvac has called for a full investigation into Paktyawal’s death, highlighting concerns over the treatment of asylum-seekers in ICE custody.