According to the GoFundMe for his family, 41-year-old Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal dropped his children off at school on the morning of Friday, March 13, just like any other weekday. After ensuring that his kids were safe inside, he headed to his home in Richardson, Texas.
Soon after arriving in his driveway, Paktiawal was surrounded by ICE agents who drove up in two unmarked Black SUVs and poured out to detain him. According to the advocacy group #AfghanEvac, which first reported on the man’s death in ICE custody, Paktiawal's children at home witnessed the agents take their father.
As Paktiawal was being processed, he did not report any prior medical history. That evening, he was able to call his brother from a holding room at the Dallas ICE field office where he stated he wasn’t feeling well. He called again around 11:00 p.m. and told his brother that he was feeling worse than before.
Paktiawal expressed to staff that he was feeling pains in his chest and experiencing shortness of breath. After detailing his symptoms throughout the evening, he was transported to the Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas, around 11:45 p.m. He remained in the hospital overnight for observation at the emergency room doctor’s request.
The next morning, while Paktiawal was eating breakfast, medical staff noted that his tongue was swollen. According to #AfghanEvac, Paktiawal was still alive around 8:00 a.m. Based on the ICE press release, he was pronounced dead, just over an hour later, at 9:10 a.m.
Paktiawal's brother received the call from ICE notifying him of the death around 1:00 p.m. He went to the hospital around 3:00 p.m. with a family friend and was told by staff that they had very little information to share as Paktiawal’s death was then under investigation. Paktiawal's brother was not allowed to see the body.
Wendi Hawthorne, a spokeswoman for Parkland Health, says that federal law prohibits the hospital from discussing patient information and referred all questions to DHS. After calling the veteran and father a “criminal illegal alien from Afghanistan," an ICE press release says that Paktiawal was pronounced deceased at 9:10 a.m. after urgent medical attention and life-saving measures were given after Parkland Hospital staff noticed his swollen tongue.
Paktiawal had work authorization and a social security number. He was paroled into the United States by an immigration officer, meaning he entered under a discretionary authorization which allows a non-citizen into the country for urgent humanitarian reasons. He worked with the U.S. Army Special Forces, serving as an Afghan Special Forces soldier since 2005. He served for more than a decade and was evacuated by the United States on August 30, 2021. His parole expired in August 2025.
Paktiawal resettled through Catholic Charities, applied for asylum, and completed a USCIS interview. His case was pending. He was working at the Golden Star Halal Market, Afghan Bakery & Cafe at the time of his death.
ICE states in the veteran’s death press release that he was previously arrested for fraud involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and had one recent arrest for theft. However, Shawn VanDiver, founder of #AfghanEvac, states that after Paktiawal’s arrests, he was never charged, let alone convicted.
Afghans living in the United States have been facing particular scrutiny from the Trump administration, with the Department of Homeland Security terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghanis as of July 14, 2025. This removed work authorization and deportation protection for at least 1,100 Afghan nationals, ending protections granted after the Taliban’s 2021 return to power.
Paktiawal leaves behind his wife, three daughters, and three sons. He was the sole provider of his family.
