Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, an Afghan man who served alongside US special forces, died just hours after being detained by ICE, with his death sparking widespread grief and questions within the Afghan community.
Paktyawal, 41, and a father of six, had no known health conditions, according to his family. He had been seeking asylum since his arrival in the US in August 2021, though the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated his humanitarian parole had expired last August.
DHS confirmed Paktyawal was arrested during a “targeted enforcement operation” on Friday. He began complaining of shortness of breath and chest pains during his medical intake exam at a Dallas ICE field office shortly after his arrest. ICE contacted paramedics, who then transported Paktyawal to a Dallas hospital, as stated by DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis.
This is how they treat those who assist US forces
Bis confirmed that Paktyawal’s health deteriorated significantly on Saturday morning, and he passed away shortly after 9:00 AM local time despite receiving CPR and other resuscitative efforts from physicians. The Dallas County Medical Examiner has not yet provided a cause of death. This marks the 12th detainee death in ICE custody this year.
Paktyawal’s death has understandably caused immense grief within the close-knit Afghan diaspora community in Texas. Rahmanullah Zazy, a community leader, expressed the community’s anguish. “They’re saying they took our community member alive to the detention center, and now we are getting the dead body.”
DHS response on Afghan evacuee who fought with US forces and died in ICE custody is here: https://t.co/Ot0fM2b3zn
— Robbie Gramer (@RobbieGramer) March 16, 2026
Both Zazy and the advocacy group AfghanEvac confirmed Paktyawal’s service alongside US special forces, starting around 2005. While DHS claimed Paktyawal “provided no record of his military service” upon entering the US, AfghanEvac presented a certificate of service.
The US government evacuated tens of thousands of Afghans after the Taliban seized control, following the US withdrawal and the end of two decades of war. This effort aimed to protect Afghans whose cooperation with US servicemembers made them vulnerable to reprisals from the new Taliban government.
This tragedy shows how vulnerable Afghan allies are.
— RF Daraee
Many of us with completed P2/P1 cases are stranded in Pakistan — our process was suspended on Jan 20, 2025.
Now we face arrest, prison, and deportation despite U.S. Embassy letters.
Our lives are in danger.@HQNewsNow @IRAP https://t.co/U9179i4Tpn(@DaraeeRafi38657) March 16, 2026
It’s important to remember that Donald Trump, after taking office, implemented significant changes to US refugee policy. These changes have also cut off vital assistance for thousands of vulnerable Afghans who had worked directly for or on behalf of the US government.
Last year, Trump called for the re-examination of every Biden-era Afghan immigrant, after Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who had entered the US through Operation Allies Welcome and was granted asylum, allegedly shot two National Guard members in Washington, DC. Lakanwal had reportedly worked with the CIA in Afghanistan for over a decade before his 2021 entry.
Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal deserved better.
— HEY-EY-EY-EY! (HEY-EY-EY-EY!) Let's Go, Buffalo! (@SethFromThe716) March 16, 2026
As an Afghan who helped US forces during the war, his asylum should've been fast-tracked.
Not only did ICE have no reason to detain him, but they're complicit in his death while in their custody.
There must be consequences.
In her statement regarding Paktyawal’s death, DHS spokesperson Bis criticized the Biden-era program, asserting it allowed “thousands of unvetted Afghan nationals” into the United States.
However, this claim is misleading. All Afghans who entered the US underwent screenings by intelligence, law enforcement, and counterterrorism professionals, both in Afghanistan and in transit countries, before they arrived in the US.
