In a heart-wrenching turn of events, an Afghan national who once fought alongside U.S. forces has tragically passed away due to an allergic reaction while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. His untimely death, as detailed in his death certificate, occurred just a day after being detained for deportation proceedings.
The deceased, 41-year-old Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, suffered an “adverse drug reaction” to an unspecified substance that led to a severe case of anaphylaxis, further complicating his existing asthma condition. According to official records, his passing on March 14 in a Dallas hospital was classified as accidental.
Paktiawal’s unexpected demise has sparked widespread outrage, particularly because he bravely risked his life fighting as a steadfast ally of U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan for ten years. This has prompted members of Congress and the advocacy group AfghanEvac to seek clarity and accountability regarding the circumstances of his death.
In a recent development, AfghanEvac has urged Texas authorities to make public his complete autopsy report. The call for transparency arises amidst authorities’ reluctance, citing that its release could potentially hinder a criminal investigation that’s currently underway regarding the incident.
“This family deserves to know what happened,” asserted Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac. He has demanded explanations about the specific substance that caused the allergic reaction, how it entered Paktiawal’s system, and the puzzling fact that the date of injury on his death certificate is listed as occurring before he was placed in custody.
Paktiawal was evacuated with thousands of others from Afghanistan when U.S. troops pulled out in 2021. He entered the U.S. through a legal process and requested asylum to stay. That claim was pending when ICE arrested him at his home in Richardson, Texas, on March 13 as he was taking some of his six children to school.
ICE has defended its decision to target Paktiawal for deportation, noting he had been arrested on food stamp fraud and theft charges. He has not been convicted in either case.
A one-page ICE report on Paktiawal’s death said that he was screened at its Dallas field office and denied any medical conditions or allergies. Hours later, he began experiencing shortness of breath and chest pain in a holding room and was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital.
The next morning, hospital staff noted swelling of his tongue while he was eating breakfast and gave him epinephrine, a drug that treats allergic reactions, the report said. He was pronounced dead about 40 minutes later after life-saving measures were unsuccessful.
The certificate lists the cause of death as “anaphylaxis complicating acute asthma exacerbation.” Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction typically triggered by food, drugs or insect venom. The document lists the toxic effects of methamphetamine, heart disease and cigarette smoking as contributing factors in the death.
His family members and coworkers said they did not know Paktiawal to use meth, and a private autopsy performed for the family could not confirm whether he had meth in his system because no blood remained for testing, VanDiver said. His wife has said that he relied on an inhaler for asthma, but ICE agents rejected her attempt to give them the device when he was taken into custody.
The cause and manner of death were established by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office, where a doctor performed an autopsy on Paktiawal.
County authorities have refused to release the autopsy report, citing statements from ICE officials that doing so would interfere with a federal investigation into the death. They have asked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office for permission to withhold the record under a “law enforcement exception” to the state’s open records law.
In response to the AP’s request for the report, Dallas County official Jennifer Rose wrote that “its release would interfere with the detection, investigation, and prosecution of a crime” but did not elaborate. The medical examiner’s office declined comment.
Paxton’s office hasn’t ruled on the matter, but previously granted a similar request from another Texas county to withhold the autopsy report of a Vietnamese man who died in ICE custody in July 2025, according to documents obtained by the AP.