Afghan asylum-seeker dies in ICE custody, US advocacy group says

WASHINGTON - An Afghan immigrant who previously worked with the US military in Afghanistan and later sought asylum in the United States died this weekend in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody less than 24 hours after being detained in Texas, a US veteran-led advocacy group said on March 15.

Mr Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal, who was living in a Dallas suburb with his wife and six children while his asylum case remained pending, was arrested by federal agents outside his apartment on the morning of March 13 while taking his children to school, the group AfghanEvac's president Shawn VanDiver said in a statement. Mr Paktyawal died of unknown causes on March 14, Mr VanDiver said.

Mr Paktyawal, 41, is at least the 12th person to die in ICE detention in 2026 under US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. In 2025, 31 people died after being detained by ICE, a two-decade high. ICE has played a central role in Mr Trump's policy of mass deportations.

The US Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, said it needs more time to respond to a Reuters request for comment.

According to Mr VanDiver, Mr Paktyawal's family was told that he was taken to a hospital in Dallas on the night of his arrest and was still alive the following morning, but died shortly after.

AfghanEvac called for an immediate investigation.

"It is highly unusual for an otherwise healthy 41-year-old man to die less than a day after being taken into government custody," Mr VanDiver said.

Mr Paktyawal, a former Afghan special forces soldier who had worked alongside US Army Special Forces since 2005, was evacuated from Afghanistan with his family in 2021 when the United States withdrew its forces after a war lasting two decades, Mr VanDiver said.

Mr Paktyawal had worked in the Dallas area at an Afghan halal market and was the primary provider for his family, including an 18-month-old infant, Mr VanDiver said. He had been living in Richardson, Texas, Mr VanDiver said.

The number of people detained by ICE has risen to record levels during Mr Trump's immigration crackdown. ICE had some 68,000 people in custody as of early February.

More than 70,000 Afghans entered the United States under Democratic former president Joe Biden's Operation Allies Welcome initiative following the Taliban takeover of Kabul in 2021, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

US agencies under Mr Trump have moved to terminate temporary protected status previously granted by the US government for humanitarian reasons to some 14,600 Afghans, opening them up to deportation. REUTERS