DALLAS — Just three months into 2026, an Afghan migrant became the 12th person to die while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, 41, died on March 14 at Parkland Hospital in Dallas after being detained for less than a day. According to a statement from Paktyawal’s family, which was shared by the nonprofit AfghanEvac, the father of six was detained while getting ready to take his children to school on March 13. The family learned he was taken to the hospital later that night, and the next day they were told he had died. In a statement, ICE said Paktyawal complained of shortness of breath and chest pains while in an ICE Dallas Field Office processing hold room on March 13 and was sent to the hospital. The next morning, ICE says, Paktyawal was eating breakfast when his tongue became swollen and medical staff responded. He was declared dead at 9:10 a.m. after “multiple livesaving efforts.” His family said they “still cannot understand how this happened,” saying at only 41 years old, Paktyawal was strong and healthy. According to ICE, Paktyawal was arrested for SNAP fraud on Sept. 16, 2025, and arrested a second time for theft on Nov. 1, 2025. Shawn Vandiver, the president and chairman of AfghanEvac, discussed ICE’s statement on Paktyawal’s death, saying it focused on calling him a criminal “despite no criminal convictions.” AfghanEvac works with the U.S. government to help resettle and relocate Afghan allies. “He was arrested twice, but never charged, never convicted," Vandiver said in a video posted to X on Monday. "And this is America. We are innocent until proven guilty, and if he was never charged, that means that somebody thought that he didn’t do the crime." AfghanEvac says Paktyawal's cause of death is still unknown. The organization is calling for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his detention, medical care and death. According to ICE, Paktyawal's death is currently under active investigation. “It is highly unusual for an otherwise healthy 41 year old man to die less than 24 hours after being taken into government custody," AfghanEvac said in a statement. "Mr. Paktyawal survived war in Afghanistan and trusted the United States enough to rebuild his life here. His family deserves answers.” According to AfghanEvac, Paktyawal served as an Afghan special forces soldier beginning in 2005 and worked alongside U.S. Army Special Forces and was evacuated to the U.S. in 2021. He was the primary provider for his family and was living in Richardson, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, prior to his detainment. U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson, who on Monday had visited the Dallas ICE field office where Paktyawal was held, said the Department of Homeland Security and ICE have had a history “lying and misrepresenting” the background of people they arrest or encounter. “He was not a violent criminal, as President Trump likes to say when he’s rounding up these folks. He was working as a baker,” said Johnson, a Democrat who represents parts of Dallas County. “He was providing for his family and contributing to our economy. And so we have a lot of questions of why was this gentleman targeted? Why was he picked up? And why did he die in their custody?” Johnson said she had been told by Paktyawal's family that he had applied for asylum and his case was pending. But Johnson said ICE agents are claiming that Paktyawal had missed his asylum appointments. The recent deaths of people being held in ICE custody have raised concerns among advocacy groups and lawmakers. In January alone, three people died in Texas while in ICE custody, including one case that the El Paso Medical Examiner ruled a homicide due to being held down and choked. The agency reported 14 custody deaths from the start of the government’s fiscal year Oct. 1 through Jan. 6, well on pace to surpass the previous 12-month count of 24. ICE reported 12 custody deaths in the 2024 fiscal year and 12 in the previous three years combined. ICE has increased the number of people in its detention centers to more than 70,000 from about 40,000 at the start of Trump’s second term. It plans to spend $38.3 billion to boost capacity to 92,600 beds by the end of November, including converted warehouses that house up to 10,000 each. Related Stories Attempted suicides, fights, pain: 911 calls reveal misery at ICE’s largest detention facility Deaths of migrants in ICE custody raises concerns Autopsy finds Cuban immigrant arrested by ICE in Rochester died of homicide due to asphyxia