ICE Detention and Custodial Deaths

Immigration and Customs Enforcement says 41‑year‑old Afghan parolee Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal died at Dallas’ Parkland Health hospital on March 14, 2026, one day after agents detained him at his home while he was preparing to take his children to school, making him the 12th person to die in ICE custody this year amid a two‑decade high in detainee deaths. ICE says Paktiawal, whose humanitarian parole from the Biden‑era Afghan evacuation expired in August 2025 and who had two 2025 Dallas‑area arrests for alleged fraud and theft, began complaining of shortness of breath and chest pains in an ICE Dallas Field Office holding room on March 13 and was “immediately” taken to the hospital, where he later suffered a swollen tongue during breakfast and was pronounced dead at 9:10 a.m. the next morning after failed resuscitation efforts. His brother, Naseer Paktiawal, says agents gave the family no explanation during the arrest and that his terrified children’s questions were ignored, and he disputes the emerging narrative by emphasizing what he describes as his brother’s decade of service in Afghan special forces alongside U.S. troops, producing documents and a badge he says prove that record. DHS, in contrast, claims it has “no record” of Paktiawal serving with American forces, underscoring a gap between the family’s account and official databases at a time when Afghan allies are already accusing Washington of abandoning former partners. The case, now drawing attention because of rising ICE death numbers and the vulnerability of resettled Afghans whose temporary parole has lapsed, raises fresh questions about medical screening, detention decisions for non‑convicted parolees and how quickly and transparently ICE investigates custodial deaths.