Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, who served alongside U.S. special forces in Afghanistan for more than a decade, died in federal immigration custody in Texas on March 14—less than 24 hours after ICE agents arrested him while he took his six children to school.
The 41-year-old father had evacuated to the United States in 2021 under Operation Allies Refuge, the Biden administration program that brought thousands of Afghan military partners to safety as the Taliban seized control of Kabul. According to CBS News, ICE detained Paktiawal near his Richardson home on March 13, placing him in a vehicle as his children screamed for help.
That evening in custody, Paktiawal complained of shortness of breath and chest pain. Medical staff transported him to Parkland Hospital in Dallas, where he received breathing treatment. The following morning, his tongue had become severely swollen. Despite receiving epinephrine and CPR, he was declared dead at 9:10 a.m.
ICE officials stated that Paktiawal's temporary parole status had expired in August 2025, and claimed he faced charges for SNAP fraud and theft—though CBS News could not independently verify the allegations, and neither case had been adjudicated. His brother told reporters Paktiawal had a pending immigration case at the time of his arrest and death.
The death highlights a troubling disconnect between wartime promises and peacetime realities for Afghan allies. Thousands of Afghans who risked their lives supporting U.S. military operations now find themselves caught in America's complex immigration system, with temporary parole statuses that can expire before permanent residency is secured.
Religious leaders in have called for "" into the circumstances surrounding 's detention and death, which occurred during Ramadan—a time when His brother's demand was simple: ""
