Afghan man who worked with US military dies after less than a day in ICE custody

An Afghan man died in a Texas hospital less than a day after being taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, the agency said on Sunday, 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 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 death 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 Programme (SNAP) – 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.

Hundreds of thousands of Afghans worked for foreign forces and embassies and joined US-funded NGOs throughout the 20-year foreign presence. Many feared that made them a target for violence, including by the Taliban.

The United Nations has reported extrajudicial killings and disappearances of former Afghan officials under the Taliban authorities, despite them declaring an amnesty for former enemies.

More than 190,000 Afghans have been resettled to the United States since the Taliban takeover, according to the US State Department.

Agence France-Presse