Afghan Parolee Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal Dies One Day After ICE Detention as Custody Deaths Hit Two‑Decade High
Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, an Afghan parolee who had helped U.S. forces and is the first Afghan national to die in ICE custody since 2008, died one day after being taken into ICE custody; his family and ICE say he had no known preexisting conditions, though his brother says he complained about his health while detained. His death comes amid a surge in ICE custody fatalities in 2025 — 31 deaths so far, the highest annual total in more than two decades and a death rate of 5.6 per 10,000 detainees — and renewed allegations from Democrats and advocacy groups of systemic medical neglect despite ICE’s denials and internal reports documenting delays or inadequate care.
📌 Key Facts
- In 2025 there were 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 after adjusting for population.
- As of early February 2026, 12 people have died in ICE custody so far this year versus four by the same point last year; ICE was holding more than 68,000 detainees amid intensified enforcement.
- The deceased Afghan parolee is identified as Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal; he previously helped U.S. forces in Afghanistan and 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, though his brother reported Paktiawal complained about his health while in ICE custody before his death.
- Advocacy groups and congressional Democrats allege systemic medical neglect and human‑rights abuses in ICE detention; ICE publicly denies substandard conditions even as its own death reports document delays in care.
- Several 2025 death cases (including Isidro Perez, Maksym Chernyak and Brayan Rayo‑Garzon) feature family accounts or ICE records describing delayed or inadequate medical care, such as missed or repeatedly rescheduled mental‑health appointments.
- ICE issued on‑camera and public statements reacting to Paktiawal’s death, reiterating the agency’s position on his medical care and detention conditions.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2025, immigrants with no criminal record became the largest group in ICE detention, highlighting that a significant portion of detentions are due to immigration status issues rather than criminal convictions.
Immigrants with no criminal record now largest group in Ice detention — Congress.gov
Approximately 133,000 Afghans have been granted humanitarian parole since 2021, with many facing potential detention and deportation upon expiration of their temporary status if not extended.
TPS-And-Humanitarian-Parole-Numbers.NFAP-Policy-Brief.2024.pdf — National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP)
ICE detention facility inspections dropped by 36.25% in 2025, coinciding with surging detentions and a record number of in-custody deaths.
ICE Inspections Plummeted as Detentions Soared in 2025 — Project On Government Oversight (POGO)
In 2025, the most common nationalities among deported migrants by ICE were Mexican, Guatemalan, and Honduran, reflecting the demographic composition of recent border crossings and detentions.
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- 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.