Afghan Ally's Death in ICE Custody Ruled an Accident as the Autopsy Is Withheld

A death certificate obtained by The Associated Press shows that Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, an Afghan national who fought alongside U.S. Special Forces for a decade, died of "anaphylaxis complicating acute asthma exacerbation" — an adverse drug reaction to an unidentified substance — one day after ICE detained him at his home in Richardson, Texas, on March 13, 2026. His death was ruled an accident. Of more than 50 deaths in ICE detention during Trump's second term, the AP reports it is the first ruled accidental. His wife says ICE agents refused to take his asthma inhaler when he was arrested; the agency's report says he denied medical conditions or allergies at intake. The Dallas County Medical Examiner's office has refused to release the autopsy, citing ICE's statement that disclosure would interfere with a federal investigation, and has asked the Texas attorney general to allow the withholding.

The case tests whether records documenting a death in federal custody can be sealed on the basis of a pending investigation by the same agency that had custody.

AfghanEvac and two members of Congress have called for the autopsy's release; Senator Richard Blumenthal said he would ask DHS to release it. The Texas attorney general has not ruled on the withholding request.