Afghan national who fought with U.S. forces died of allergic reaction in ICE custody

newsJul 7, 2026196,302

Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, an Afghan who fought alongside U.S. Special Forces and was evacuated to the United States in 2021, died March 14 at a Dallas hospital after an “adverse drug reaction” to an unidentified substance triggered anaphylaxis and exacerbated his asthma, his death certificate says. Paktiawal was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at his Richardson, Texas, home on March 13 as he was preparing his six children for school; ICE’s intake screening recorded that he denied medical conditions or allergies. Hospital staff reported tongue swelling while he was eating breakfast, administered epinephrine, and pronounced him dead about 40 minutes later; the certificate lists cause of death as anaphylaxis complicating acute asthma exacerbation and rules the death an accident. The certificate also lists the toxic effects of methamphetamine, heart disease, and cigarette smoking as contributing factors; relatives said they did not know him to use meth and a family-commissioned autopsy could not confirm meth because no blood remained for testing. Advocates and two members of Congress, including Shawn VanDiver of AfghanEvac and Senator Richard Blumenthal, have demanded that Texas authorities release the full autopsy and explain why the injury date on the death certificate precedes his detention. ICE has defended its decision to pursue deportation, citing prior arrests for food stamp fraud and theft for which Paktiawal had not been convicted, and referred questions to its previously released report on his death.

NBC News

@nbcnews.com

An Afghan national who fought alongside U.S. forces has died from an allergic reaction while in ICE custody, one day after he was detained for deportation proceedings, his death certificate shows. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

62446h ago

ErwinSchrodinger376

He never should have been in fucking custody! Betraying allies makes America less safe, and endangers military servicemembers across the globe. Trump and his idiot followers do not get that simple fact. They just love the cruelty.

NBC News277

ICE defended its decision to target Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal for deportation, though he had not been convicted in any case. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

Max Burbank153

When all of this is over and we discover just what the death toll in our concentration camps was, people all over the world will be appalled, but only here in the US will there be surprise.

minutesdrag.bsky.social72

“Unidentified”?!!! WHAT did they give him in ICE detention?! THEY are responsible. This was NO accident!! This was homicide! 🤬

singerindy.bsky.social51

The US KILLED AN AFGHAN ALLY WHO ASSISTED THE US MILITARY. 💔 WHERE ARE THE VETERANS GROUPS ON THIS?

FBPundit47

“It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal." -Henry Kissinger. Trump’s Administration proves this adage every day.

Quoting this

Peter Lucier40

The thing is, people who are virulently anti-immigrant, vocally supportive of policies of cruelty, always have this idea that the rules they clamor for will be excepted for them, or people they care about, or "the good ones." The cruelty is for "others." Surely someone will sort it out, they think.

Eiynah 🇵🇸9

This is what they do to people who help them.

Adrian Carrasquillo

@adriancarrasquillo.bsky.social

This is disgusting Former Afghan ally who died in ICE custody suffered an allergic reaction, death certificate says apnews.com/article/afgh... via @thebulwark.com

2622h ago

Michael

@michaelnaphys.bsky.social

ICE killed another person. This time, an Afghan National who served in the military of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and fought alongside the US armed forces against the Taliban insurgency. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

103h ago

newmexicanextexan.bsky.social

@newmexicanextexan.bsky.social

Death of former Afghan ally while in ICE custody ruled an accident www.texastribune.org/2026/07/06/a... Shame. The US is a treacherous ally. Nobody should trust us.

51h ago

RoseMarie

@rosesbloom24.bsky.social

and why the death certificate lists the injury date as the day before he entered ICE custody.

62h ago

Pauline Park

@paulinepark.bsky.social

"Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal's sudden death in #ICE custody has drawn outrage because he had risked his life fighting as an ally of US Special Forces in Afghanistan for a decade": that's gratitude for you~! The next time the US goes to war, who will fight with us...? www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

34h ago

Diane

@dyn13.bsky.social

Another 'Death by ICE'. This on top of the 80+ year old man who just died in ICE custody. Incredibly infuriating.

24h ago

Green Hombre

@greenhombre.bsky.social

Until the murderers are in custody and facing charges, ICE is operating as a legal death squad in the USA. That is why it should no longer exist. Defund the death squad.

3Yesterday

greatgrandmacindy.bsky.social

@greatgrandmacindy.bsky.social

They denied him his inhaler. Did they substitute his inhaler for an ICE special inhaler??? Because they are ICE, any so-called investigation will go nowhere. ICE is a Trump sanctioned death squad. Any death in their custody is either an accident or suicide. End of investigation.

14h ago

Shihab S Joi

@shihabsjoi.bsky.social

All other 50 deaths in ICE custody "have been blamed on natural causes or suicide" fuck off just fuck off. They're torturing them to death 😡

1Just now

CafeOlait 🇺🇦 ☮ 🟦

@cafeolait.bsky.social

This is how Trump says thank you to brave Afghanis. Afghan national who fought with U.S. forces died of allergic reaction in ICE custody buff.ly/DOXSj9P

3h ago

News 📰

@some-news.bsky.social

Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, suffered “an adverse drug reaction” to an unidentified substance, which triggered anaphylaxis and exacerbated his asthma, the death report shows.

13h ago

Megan McGibney

@meganmcgibney.bsky.social

“ICE has defended its decision to target Paktiawal for deportation, noting he had been arrested on food stamp fraud and theft charges. He had not been convicted in either case.” #afghanistan #ICE www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

4h ago

Kim Bernstein

@kbernstein.bsky.social

"Paktiawal’s sudden death in ICE custody has drawn outrage because he had risked his life fighting as an ally of U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan for a decade.” A decade. Mr. Paktiawal was going through the legal asylum process. He had no criminal convictions. ICE is a terror organization.

3h ago

hallucinati.bsky.social

@hallucinati.bsky.social

This hour on BlueSky: ICE custody death of Afghan national sparks outrage and calls for accountability. Reaction is filled with anger and demands for justice to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Mood: 😡🔥

5h ago

1 source

nbcnews.comAfghan national who fought with U.S. forces died of allergic reaction in ICE custody

US airman tried by US court martial over Cambridgeshire indecent‑exposure casenews BBC exposes jailers at Russia's 'torture prisons' in Ukrainenews Midtown Manhattan building evacuated after structural failure warningsnews Woman hit by child on Lime bike denied compensation, says Guardiannews

Afghan national who fought with U.S. forces died of allergic reaction in ICE custody

Related