Afghan man who worked with U.S. military dies after taken into ICE custody

HOUSTON (AP) — An Afghan immigrant whose family said had worked with U.S. forces in his home country died at a Texas hospital after having been detained by immigration authorities, according to officials.

Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, 41, died at Parkland Hospital in Dallas on Saturday, a day after having been taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

A cause of death is still pending. But Paktyawal’s family said he was not ill.

“We still cannot understand how this happened. He was only 41 years old and was a strong and healthy man. His children keep asking when their father will come home,” the family said in statement.

In a statement, ICE said that Paktyawal had been arrested for committing fraud against SNAP, the government’s biggest food aid program, on Sept. 16. ICE said he had also been arrested for theft on Nov. 1.

Paktyawal was arrested during a targeted enforcement action and at the time of his arrest and processing on Friday, he did not report any prior medical history, according to ICE.

Paktyawal began complaining of shortness of breath and chest pains Friday night while in an ICE Dallas field office processing hold room, according to ICE. He was taken to Parkland Hospital in Dallas where he received treatment and was kept overnight.

On Saturday, Paktyawal was eating breakfast when staff noticed his tongue had become swollen. Medical staff performed multiple lifesaving efforts but he died at 9:10 a.m. Saturday, according to ICE.

“His passing is currently under active investigation,” ICE said.

Paktyawal had previously served alongside U.S. military special forces in Afghanistan and came to the United States as a refugee following the withdrawal by U.S. troops and the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in August 2021, according to #AfghanEvac, a San Diego-based group that helps resettle Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the two-decade war.

Paktyawal had been living in Richardson, a suburb of Dallas, with his family while his asylum case remained pending, according to #AfghanEvac. He was married and had six children.

Deaths in ICE custody have soared during Trump’s second term.

The agency reported 14 custody deaths from the start of the government’s fiscal year Oct. 1 through Jan. 6, well on pace to surpass the previous 12-month count of 24. ICE reported 12 custody deaths in the 2024 fiscal year and 12 in the previous three years combined.

ICE has increased the number of people in its detention centers to more than 70,000 from about 40,000 at the start of Trump’s second term. It plans to spend $38.3 billion to boost capacity to 92,600 beds by the end of November, including converted warehouses that house up to 10,000 each

Associated Press writers Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Jamie Stengle in Dallas contributed to this report.

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