Afghan ally ides in ICE custody in Texas
By: Marc Ramirez
USA Today
..... A 41-year-old Afghan husband and father of six who served alongside U.S. military forces in Afghanistan died a day after being detain by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, and one advocacy group is calling for "an immediate and transparent investigation" into his death.
.....
Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, a resident of Richardson, Texas, died in ICE custody on March 14, [2026] according to an agency news release, adding that Paktyawal had reported no prior medical history at the time of his arrest or processing.
..... Paktyawal was taken into custody in Richardson on the morning of March 13 [2026] "during targeted enforcement action," the release said, describing him as "a criminal alien form Afghanistan." The agency said Paktyawal was arrested twice in 2025 for SNAP fraud and theft but did not say whether he was convicted.
..... On the evening of March 13, [2026] it said, Paktyawal complained of shortness of breath and chest pains while in a processing hold room a tan ICE field office in Dallas and was immediately transported o the city's Parkland Hospital for treatment. The physician recommended he stay overnight for observation, the agency said. The next morning, Paktyawal was eating breakfast when medical staff noticed his tongue had swollen, the agency said. That prompted a medical response, and despite multiple lifesaving efforts, Paktyawal was pronounce dead at 9:10 A<. Paktyawal's family described him as "a strong and healthy man" and said they were "heartbroken: at his loss.
..... "Our family is in deep shock and pain," family members said in a statement shared by AfghanEvac, a San Diego-based coalition of organizations and individuals that helps replicate and resettle Afghan refugees considered to be at risk. "we still cannot understand how this happened."
..... In a separate statement, AfghanEvac said it was "deeply disturbed" by Paktyawal's death.
..... Shawn Vandiver, the groups founder and president and a U.S. Navy veteran, said Paktyawal served alongside U.S. Army Special Forces in Afghanistan's dangerous Paktika province starting in 2005. the August 2021 after Afghanistan's fall to the Taliban, VanDiver said, Paktyawal, whose children range from 18 months to 15 years old, worked at a Dallas market and bakery. His humanitarian parole ended in August and his asylum case was pending, Vandiver said.
..... "We came her hoping for safety and a better life," the family's statement said, adding that Paktyawal "tried to build a peaceful life after everything our family has been through."