Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal
Synopsis
Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, 41, died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Texas on Saturday, March 14, 2026—less than 24 hours after federal agents arrested him outside his apartment in a Dallas suburb on the morning of Friday, March 13, while he was taking his children to school, according to a statement from Shawn VanDiver, president of the veteran-led advocacy group AfghanEvac. Paktyawal had been living in Richardson, Texas, with his wife and six children while his asylum case remained pending. VanDiver said Paktyawal died of unknown causes. According to VanDiver, Paktyawal's family was told he was taken to a hospital in Dallas on the night of his arrest and was still alive the following morning but died shortly after. AfghanEvac called for an immediate investigation, with VanDiver noting it is "highly unusual for an otherwise healthy 41-year-old man to die less than a day after being taken into government custody." In a statement, ICE said Paktyawal was eating breakfast when medical staff noted that his tongue had become swollen, prompting a medical response; he was declared dead only after multiple attempts at resuscitation, according to the agency. ICE said it "is committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments." Paktyawal was a former Afghan special forces soldier who had worked alongside U.S. Army Special Forces since 2005 and was evacuated from Afghanistan with his family in 2021 when U.S. forces withdrew after two decades of war, VanDiver said. Reuters reported that Paktyawal was at least the 12th person to die in ICE detention in 2026 under President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, citing ICE detention deaths reporting.
Key takeaways
From court records, news reporting, and linked sources below.
- Federal agents arrested Paktyawal outside his Dallas-area apartment on Friday, March 13, 2026, while he was taking his children to school; he died in ICE custody in Texas the next day, March 14, according to AfghanEvac and Reuters.
- He was 41, lived in Richardson, Texas, with his wife and six children, had a pending asylum case, and worked at an Afghan halal market as the family's primary provider, including for an 18-month-old child.
- AfghanEvac said he was a former Afghan special forces soldier who worked with U.S. Army Special Forces since 2005 and was evacuated with his family in 2021 under the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
- AfghanEvac said the family was told he went to a Dallas hospital the night of his arrest, was alive the next morning, and died shortly after; the group called for an immediate investigation.
- ICE stated he was eating breakfast when staff noted a swollen tongue, medical staff responded, and he was declared dead after multiple resuscitation attempts.
- Reuters noted he was at least the 12th person reported to have died in ICE custody in 2026 under the Trump administration's immigration enforcement surge.