An Afghan immigrant who previously worked with the U.S. military in Afghanistan and then sought asylum in the United States died over the weekend in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, less than 24 hours after being detained in Texas, an advocacy group said Sunday.
Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, who lived in a Dallas suburb with his wife and six children while his asylum case was pending, was arrested by federal agents outside his apartment Friday morning while taking his children to school, said a statement from Shawn VanDiver, president of the military veteran-led group AfghanEvac.
Paktyawal, 41, died of unknown causes on Saturday, VanDiver said.
He is at least the twelfth person to die in ICE detention so far this year amid the Donald Trump administration’s immigration repression. Last year, 31 people died after being detained by ICE, the highest number in two decades.
ICE has played a central role in Trump’s mass deportation policy.
In a statement Sunday, ICE said Paktyawal was eating breakfast when medical staff noticed his tongue had swollen, prompting a medical response. He was pronounced dead only after multiple resuscitation attempts, the agency said.
The agency said it “is committed to ensuring that all detainees reside in safe and humane environments.”
According to VanDiver, Paktyawal’s family was told he was taken to a hospital in Dallas the night of his arrest and was still alive the next morning, but died shortly after.
AfghanEvac called for an immediate investigation.
“It is very unusual for an otherwise healthy 41-year-old man to die less than a day after being taken into government custody,” VanDiver said.
Paktyawal, a former Afghan special forces soldier who had served alongside U.S. Army special forces since 2005, was evacuated from Afghanistan with his family in 2021 when the United States withdrew its military after a two-decade war, VanDiver said.
Paktyawal had worked in the Dallas area at an Afghan halal market and was the primary breadwinner for her family, including an 18-month-old baby, VanDiver said. He had been living in Richardson, Texas, VanDiver said.
The number of people detained by ICE has risen to record levels during Trump’s immigration crackdown. ICE had about 68,000 people in custody as of early February.
More than 70,000 Afghans entered the United States during Joe Biden’s presidency, within the framework of the Operation Allies Welcome initiative after the Taliban took over Kabul in 2021, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Federal agencies under Trump have moved to end temporary protected status previously granted by the US government on humanitarian grounds to some 14,600 Afghans, exposing them to deportation.
