DALLAS — Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal died on March 14, 2026, at a Dallas hospital while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Paktiawal's death an accident, citing "anaphylaxis complicating acute asthma exacerbation" as the cause and "an adverse drug reaction" to an unidentified substance as a contributing factor.

ICE detained Paktiawal on March 13, 2026, at his home in Richardson, Texas. He was 41 years old. Paktiawal experienced shortness of breath and chest pain in a holding room hours after being screened by ICE and was subsequently taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital. Hospital staff administered epinephrine to Paktiawal after observing swelling of his tongue while he was eating breakfast. He was pronounced dead approximately 40 minutes following life-saving efforts.

The death certificate lists the toxic effects of methamphetamine, heart disease, and cigarette smoking as contributing factors. A private autopsy performed for Paktiawal's family could not confirm the presence of methamphetamine because no blood remained for testing. Family members and coworkers stated they did not know him to use methamphetamine. Paktiawal's wife said he relied on an inhaler for asthma and that ICE agents had rejected her attempt to provide the device. An ICE report stated that Paktiawal was screened at the Dallas field office and denied having any medical conditions or allergies.

Paktiawal was evacuated from Afghanistan in 2021 during the U.S. troop withdrawal after fighting alongside U.S. Special Forces for ten years. He entered the United States through a legal process and had a pending asylum claim at the time of his arrest. ICE arrested Paktiawal while he was taking some of his six children to school. ICE stated he had been arrested on charges of food stamp fraud and theft, for which he had not been convicted. After settling in the United States, Paktiawal worked as a truck driver and at a market and bakery.

AfghanEvac and two members of Congress have called on Texas authorities to release Paktiawal's full autopsy report. Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac, said, "This family has a right to know what happened. Why won't they release the report?" Senator Richard Blumenthal said, "What's happening here smacks of a cover-up." Naseer Paktiawal, the brother of the deceased, asked, "What accident are they talking about?" adding, "We just want the truth." Dallas County officials have asked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office for permission to withhold the autopsy record under a law enforcement exception to the state's open records law. Paxton's office has not yet ruled on this request.