Afghan man dies in ICE custody less than 24 hours after arrest, a development that has raised urgent questions about immigration enforcement practices, detainee medical care, and the fragile situation facing thousands of Afghan evacuees who were resettled in the United States after the collapse of Kabul in 2021.
The man at the center of the case was Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, a 41 year old Afghan national who once worked alongside US Army Special Forces during the long war in Afghanistan. According to AfghanEvac, an advocacy organization that helps resettle Afghan allies in the United States, Paktyawal was evacuated during the chaotic withdrawal in 2021 and had been living in the country while his asylum application remained pending.
His death came less than a day after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents took him into custody during what the agency described as a targeted enforcement action in Texas.
ICE officials say Paktyawal was arrested on March 13 and soon after complained of shortness of breath and chest pain. Authorities transferred him to Parkland Hospital in Dallas for medical attention. The agency later reported that the situation escalated early the following morning.
According to an official ICE statement, Paktyawal was eating breakfast on March 14 when medical staff noticed that his tongue had become swollen. A medical emergency response was triggered. Staff attempted several lifesaving interventions before he was pronounced dead at 9:10 am.
At the time of writing, federal authorities have not publicly identified the exact cause of death. ICE stated that the case remains under active investigation and noted that Paktyawal did not report any known prior medical history when he was taken into custody.
The circumstances surrounding the incident have prompted immediate scrutiny from advocacy groups, immigration lawyers, and members of the Afghan resettlement community across the United States.
The story of Afghan man dies in ICE custody less than 24 hours after arrest unfolds within a larger policy landscape that remains unresolved years after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Tens of thousands of Afghans were evacuated during the final weeks of the war and admitted into the United States under temporary humanitarian parole. That status allowed them to enter and live in the country while pursuing asylum or other legal protections. However, parole status is temporary by design and many evacuees now face uncertain legal futures as deadlines approach.
Paktyawal reportedly entered the United States in August 2021. According to ICE, the duration of his parole expired in August 2025.
Advocates have long warned that the expiration of parole for Afghan evacuees could place many families in precarious legal situations if their asylum claims are still pending. The complexity of immigration courts, combined with massive case backlogs, means many applications remain unresolved years after arrival.
Paktyawal was among those still navigating that uncertain process.
Paktyawal leaves behind a wife and six children. His youngest child is only 18 months old.
In a statement shared through AfghanEvac, his family expressed shock and disbelief at the sudden loss.
“We still cannot understand how this happened. He was only 41 years old and was a strong and healthy man.”
For relatives already adjusting to life in a new country after fleeing conflict, the sudden death of a family member in federal custody deepens an already painful experience.
The family is now waiting for more information about the medical events that led to his death.
The advocacy organization AfghanEvac has publicly called for an immediate and transparent investigation into the incident.
Its president, Shawn VanDiver, urged federal oversight authorities to examine the circumstances surrounding Paktyawal’s detention, medical care, and death. The group is asking for involvement from the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General as well as congressional oversight.
For organizations that helped relocate Afghan allies to the United States, the case has become a symbol of the fragile position many evacuees now occupy.
Many of these individuals supported US military missions during the war and were promised protection when the Taliban returned to power. Advocacy groups argue that those commitments should extend beyond evacuation and into long term legal stability.
ICE officials also stated that Paktyawal had been arrested twice in 2024 on allegations related to fraud and theft connected to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP. The program provides grocery assistance to low income households.
However, AfghanEvac disputes the implication of wrongdoing. The organization says those arrests did not lead to criminal charges and that Paktyawal had not been convicted of any crimes based on currently available records.
Situations like this often illustrate the murky intersection between immigration enforcement and the broader criminal justice system. An arrest can trigger immigration consequences even when a case does not result in conviction.
For immigrants already navigating complex legal processes, that distinction can become critical.
Paktyawal’s death also arrives amid renewed international criticism of immigration enforcement practices in the United States.
Just days before the incident, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination publicly criticized ICE over what it described as excessive use of force during immigration operations. The committee noted that at least eight people have died either during ICE enforcement actions or while in ICE custody since January.
Deaths in immigration detention are not new, but each case adds pressure on federal agencies to demonstrate transparency and accountability. Advocacy organizations frequently argue that detainees often face inadequate medical screening, delays in treatment, and inconsistent monitoring once they enter custody.
ICE maintains that detainees receive access to medical services and that incidents are reviewed through internal and external oversight channels.
The case of Afghan man dies in ICE custody less than 24 hours after arrest highlights a series of difficult questions that extend well beyond a single tragedy.
How effectively are medical emergencies handled inside immigration detention systems. What protections exist for evacuees whose legal status remains unresolved years after arrival. And how should the United States balance immigration enforcement with the commitments it made to wartime allies.
For now, the answers remain incomplete.
Paktyawal’s death has triggered an investigation, but the deeper implications may only emerge over time as officials, lawmakers, and advocacy groups attempt to understand how a man who once worked with US forces in Afghanistan ended up dying in federal custody in Texas less than a day after his arrest.
For his family, however, the issue is not policy or legal debate. It is a loss that arrived suddenly and without warning.
And until the investigation provides clear answers, the circumstances surrounding his final hours will remain a painful and unresolved question.
