An Afghan immigrant who worked with US forces in Afghanistan has died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody less than 24 hours after being detained in Texas, an advocacy group has said.
Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, 41, died on Saturday, a day after federal agents arrested him outside his apartment in a Dallas suburb while he was taking his children to school, according to Shawn VanDiver, president of the veteran-led group AfghanEvac.
ICE said in a statement that Paktyawal was eating breakfast when medical staff noticed his tongue had become swollen, prompting a medical response. Despite multiple attempts at resuscitation, he was declared dead. The agency said it “is committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments”.
Paktyawal, a former Afghan special forces soldier who had worked alongside US army special forces since 2005, was evacuated from Afghanistan with his family in 2021 after the US withdrawal. He had been living in Richardson, Texas, with his wife and six children, including an 18-month-old infant, and worked at an Afghan halal market.
He is at least the 12th person to die in ICE detention this year amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Last year, 31 people died after being detained by ICE, a two-decade high. ICE had about 68,000 people in custody as of early February.
According to VanDiver, Paktyawal’s family was told he was taken to hospital on the night of his arrest, was still alive the following morning, but died shortly after. “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.
