Outrage as Afghan asylum seeker who fought alongside US dies in ICE custody

Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, a 41-year-old Afghan asylum seeker who worked with US forces in Afghanistan, died in ICE custody in the US less than 24 hours after being detained on March 13, 2026, in Richardson, Texas. Paktyawal, part of the 70,000 Afghans evacuated to the US after the 2021 withdrawal, was detained while taking his children to school. ICE stated that Paktyawal complained of shortness of breath and chest pains and was taken to a hospital where he later died despite life-saving efforts. Advocacy groups and Paktyawal's family are calling for a full investigation into his death, especially given his healthy condition and his service alongside US troops.

Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, a 41-year-old Afghan asylum seeker who previously worked with the U.S. military, died in ICE custody in Texas on Saturday, less than 24 hours after being detained. Paktyawal, who lived in a Dallas suburb with his family while awaiting the outcome of his asylum case, was arrested by federal agents on Friday morning. The cause of his death is currently unknown. According to the advocacy group AfghanEvac, Paktyawal was taken to a Dallas hospital the night of his arrest and died shortly after. His death marks at least the 12th death in ICE detention this year, amid increased immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.