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Afghan Special Forces veteran dies in ICE custody after denied medical care, family demands answers

Mar 16, 2026 · Dallas, TX, Afghanistan

Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, an Afghan national who served alongside U.S. Special Forces for a decade, was arrested by ICE agents on March 13, 2026, outside his home in Richardson, Texas, while taking his six children to school. He had legally entered the U.S. in 2021 after evacuating from Afghanistan and had a pending asylum application. During his arrest, his wife attempted to give him his inhaler, but ICE agents rejected it. While in ICE custody, Paktiawal called his brother Naseer to report chest pain and requested medical care, which ICE staff ignored. He was transported to Parkland Memorial Hospital on the evening of March 15 after reporting shortness of breath and chest pains during ICE intake processing. The following morning, he died from anaphylaxis triggered by an adverse drug reaction that exacerbated his asthma. Hospital staff noted tongue swelling and administered epinephrine, but he was pronounced dead approximately 40 minutes later. His death certificate and the Dallas County Medical Examiner both ruled the cause of death as accidental, attributed to an adverse drug reaction to an unidentified substance. His family and advocacy groups are demanding the full autopsy report be released and questioning what substance caused the reaction. His brother asked: "If they know he is going through pain and he is asking for someone to help, what were they waiting for? The last breath?"

Timeline

Mar 16, 2026Paktiawal died from anaphylaxis triggered by adverse drug reaction exacerbating his asthma; pronounced dead approximately 40 minutes after epinephrine administration
Mar 15, 2026Paktiawal called his brother reporting chest pain and requesting medical care, which ICE staff ignored; transported to Parkland Memorial Hospital in the evening after reporting shortness of breath and chest pains during ICE intake processing
Mar 13, 2026Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal arrested by ICE agents outside his home in Richardson, Texas while taking his six children to school; wife's attempt to provide his inhaler rejected by agents

Sources

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