Mohammad Nazir Paktiawal, 41, who served alongside U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan, died on March 14, a day after officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested him at his Texas home during deportation proceedings.
According to the death certificate, reviewed by The News Agency that Dare Not be Named, the primary cause of death was anaphylactic shock with acute exacerbation of asthma. The medical examiner also listed methamphetamine toxicity, underlying cardiovascular disease and cigarette smoking as contributing factors.
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Paktiawal had fought alongside U.S. forces for nearly a decade before being evacuated to the United States after the Taliban
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returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. He entered the country legally under the U.S. evacuation programme, but his asylum application had not been approved when he was detained by immigration authorities.
The findings have failed to ease concerns among his family, legal representatives and veterans’ advocacy groups, who continue to seek greater transparency over the circumstances of his death.
On Monday, AfghanEvac President Shawn VanDiver and two members of the U.S. Congress called on Texas authorities to release the full autopsy report, which remains confidential because officials say a criminal investigation is ongoing.
VanDiver questioned what substance triggered the fatal allergic reaction, how it entered Paktiawal’s body and why the death certificate listed the date of injury as one day before his arrest by ICE.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal also urged the Department of Homeland Security to make the autopsy findings public, saying Paktiawal’s family deserved a full explanation of how he died while in federal custody.
ICE has defended its handling of the case, saying Paktiawal had previously been arrested on allegations of food assistance fraud and theft, although he was not convicted in either case. The agency also said he reported no medical conditions or drug allergies during intake at the detention facility.
According to ICE, Paktiawal later developed breathing difficulties and chest pain and was transferred to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Hospital staff discovered severe swelling of his tongue the following morning while he was eating breakfast. Despite receiving emergency treatment, including epinephrine, he died about 40 minutes later.
Paktiawal’s family disputes the finding that methamphetamine contributed to his death. His lawyer said an independent autopsy could neither confirm nor rule out the conclusion because no blood sample was available for further toxicological testing. His wife has also said she tried to provide immigration officers with his asthma inhaler during his arrest, but they declined to accept it.
Paktiawal’s death has renewed scrutiny of medical care and oversight in U.S. immigration detention facilities, particularly for Afghan nationals evacuated after the collapse of the Western-backed Afghanistan government in 2021.