Daijiworld Media Network - Dallas
Dallas, Mar 16: An Afghan immigrant who had previously worked with the United States Army in Afghanistan died in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) less than 24 hours after being detained in Texas, according to a US veteran-led advocacy group.
The deceased, identified as Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, 41, was living with his wife and six children in a suburb of Dallas while his asylum application in the United States was pending.
According to AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver, Paktyawal was arrested by federal agents outside his apartment on Friday morning while taking his children to school. He died the following day, though the cause of death remains unknown.
Paktyawal is at least the 12th person to die in ICE detention this year amid the immigration crackdown under US President Donald Trump. Last year, 31 people died while in ICE custody, the highest figure in two decades.
In a statement, ICE said Paktyawal was eating breakfast when medical staff noticed that his tongue had become swollen, prompting an emergency medical response. The agency said he was declared dead after multiple attempts at resuscitation.
ICE stated it “is committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments.”
However, AfghanEvac called for an immediate investigation into the death. VanDiver said it was unusual for a healthy 41-year-old man to die within a day of being taken into government custody.
Paktyawal, a former Afghan special forces soldier who had worked alongside US Army Special Forces since 2005, was evacuated to the United States with his family in 2021 during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of Kabul.
He had been living in Richardson and working at an Afghan halal market in the Dallas area, serving as the primary breadwinner for his family, which includes an 18-month-old child.
The number of people held in ICE detention has risen sharply during Trump’s immigration crackdown. According to official data, the agency had about 68,000 individuals in custody as of early February.
More than 70,000 Afghans entered the United States under Operation Allies Welcome launched by the administration of former US President Joe Biden following the Taliban takeover in 2021.
However, the current administration has moved to terminate temporary protected status previously granted to around 14,600 Afghans on humanitarian grounds, potentially exposing them to deportation.