Afghan refugee dies in ICE custody in US

 

 

P.P. Cherian

An Afghan refugee who served with the US military in Afghanistan has died in immigration custody in Texas. The deceased has been identified as 41-year-old Mohammad Nasir Paktiyawal. He died less than 24 hours after being taken into custody.

He served in the Afghan Special Forces for more than ten years since 2005 and has worked with the US military. He came to the US with his family during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

On the morning of March 13, immigration officials took him into custody in front of his apartment in Richardson as he was preparing to drop his children off at school.

He was hospitalized after experiencing shortness of breath and chest pains while in custody, but died on March 14. The cause of death has not been officially confirmed.

Nazir was the sole breadwinner of his family, which included his wife and six children, aged 18 months to 15 years.

Nazir's family and human rights groups have called for an impartial investigation into his death. He is the 12th person to die in ICE custody in 2026 alone.