Afghan Parolee Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal’s Death in ICE Custody Spurs Texas Democrat’s Oversight Push During DHS Shutdown
Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, a former Afghan soldier who aided U.S. forces and was evacuated to the U.S. in 2021, died while held at the Dallas ICE field office; his family says he complained about his health, both family and ICE report no known preexisting conditions, and his death is the latest in a surge of ICE-custody deaths (31 in 2025, the highest in more than two decades, and 13 in the first three months of 2026) that advocates link to delayed or inadequate medical care while ICE disputes such claims. Rep. Julie Johnson visited the Dallas office unannounced, said the DHS shutdown has impeded families’ access and congressional oversight (she was partially barred from entry), and has proposed a bill to require DHS to maintain communications with congressional offices during funding lapses, citing Paktiawal’s case as a key example.
📌 Key Facts
- Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, an Afghan parolee who fought alongside U.S. forces and was evacuated to the U.S. in 2021, died in ICE custody; he is the first Afghan national to die in ICE custody since 2008.
- Both Paktiawal's family and ICE say he had no known pre‑existing medical conditions; his brother says Paktiawal complained about his health in custody, and his brother and 12‑year‑old son have publicly demanded answers.
- ICE gave an on‑camera/public reaction to Paktiawal’s death, reiterating the agency’s position on his medical care and detention conditions.
- ICE custody deaths have risen sharply: 31 deaths in 2025 (the highest annual total in more than two decades, with a death rate of 5.6 per 10,000 detainees after adjustment) and at least 13 deaths in the first three months of 2026; CBS reporting also noted 12 deaths early in the year versus four at the same point the prior year, while ICE held more than 68,000 detainees as of early February.
- Reporting documents multiple 2025 cases (including Isidro Perez, Maksym Chernyak and Brayan Rayo‑Garzon) in which families or ICE records describe delayed or inadequate medical care, including missed or repeatedly rescheduled mental‑health appointments.
- Congressional Democrats and advocacy groups allege systemic medical neglect and human‑rights abuses in ICE detention; ICE denies substandard conditions despite its own reports that show delays in care.
- Texas Democrat Rep. Julie Johnson has pressed for oversight after Paktiawal’s death: she made an unannounced visit to the Dallas ICE field office, where her oversight access was partially restricted and staff were barred from entry.
- Johnson says Paktiawal’s case illustrates problems locating detainees and accessing medical care during the DHS shutdown and has introduced a bill to codify DHS’s obligation to continue communications with congressional offices during funding lapses.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2025, the demographic composition of the Department of Homeland Security's full-time workforce was 51.7% White (Non-Hispanic or Latino), 22.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Black or African American, 7.2% Asian, 1.5% American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.3% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 3.2% two or more races.
The 2021 U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent Taliban takeover prompted the evacuation of approximately 80,000 Afghans to the United States under humanitarian parole through Operation Allies Welcome, a policy allowing temporary entry for those at risk.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal: One of 200,000 Afghans Brought Here in 2021 — Center for Immigration Studies
In 2025, Latinos accounted for approximately 90% of arrests in certain ICE operations, significantly higher than their 19% share of the U.S. population, indicating overrepresentation in immigration enforcement actions.
Carbajal Demands Answers on ICE Racial Profiling — House.gov
Disabled individuals in ICE detention experience harm at devastating rates, with over 70,000 people in custody as of late 2025, and reports indicating inadequate accommodations and medical neglect disproportionately affecting this group.
New Disabled South - Facebook — Facebook
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Rep. Julie Johnson specifically cites the Dallas ICE field office where Paktiawal was held and visits it unannounced to inspect conditions and press for answers.
- Johnson links Paktiawal’s death to broader constituent concerns about locating detainees and accessing medical care during the DHS shutdown.
- Johnson’s new bill would codify DHS’s obligation to continue communications with congressional offices during funding lapses, with Paktiawal’s case serving as a clear example of why she says this is needed.
- The NPR article confirms Johnson’s oversight access was partially restricted during her Dallas field-office visit, with staff barred from entry.
- CBS piece confirms Paktiawal was a former soldier in the Afghan military who fought alongside U.S. forces and was evacuated to the U.S. in 2021.
- Article notes that 13 people have died in ICE detention in the first three months of 2026, updating the death toll figure and tying it explicitly to last year’s two‑decade high.
- Paktiawal’s brother and his 12‑year‑old son speak on camera, publicly demanding answers about his sudden death in custody, adding personal testimony and pressure on ICE for transparency.
- Identifies the deceased Afghan parolee by full name as Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal and notes he previously helped U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
- Reports that, according to his brother, Paktiawal complained about his health while in ICE custody before his death.
- Includes ICE’s on‑camera/public reaction to his death, expanding on or reiterating the agency’s position on his medical care and detention conditions.
- Confirms that 2025 saw 31 deaths in ICE custody, the highest annual total in more than two decades, and a death rate of 5.6 per 10,000 detainees, the highest since 2020 even after adjusting for population.
- Reports that 12 people have already died in ICE custody so far this year, versus four deaths by the same point last year, with ICE holding more than 68,000 detainees as of early February under Trump’s intensified enforcement push.
- Provides additional detail that Paktiawal had no known pre‑existing medical conditions according to both family and ICE and that he is the first Afghan national to die in ICE custody since 2008.
- Documents multiple other 2025 death cases (Isidro Perez, Maksym Chernyak, Brayan Rayo‑Garzon) where families or ICE records describe delayed or inadequate medical care, including missed or repeatedly rescheduled mental‑health appointments.
- Notes that congressional Democrats and advocacy groups have recently alleged systemic medical neglect and human‑rights abuses in ICE detention, and that ICE publicly denies substandard conditions despite its own death reports showing delays in care.