When U.S. Army Special Forces operated in Afghanistan’s Paktika Province—one of the country’s most dangerous regions—they depended on local allies willing to risk their lives alongside American troops.

Nazeer Paktyawal was one of those men.

Beginning in 2005, Paktyawal worked alongside U.S. Army Special Forces, according to AfghanEvac, a nonprofit organization that assists Afghan allies seeking resettlement in the United States. When the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, his service placed him and his family in danger. Like thousands of other Afghans who had assisted the United States during two decades of war, he and his family were evacuated and brought to safety in America.

His brother, Naseer Paktyawal, said the journey was only possible because of Nazeer’s years of service.

“It was not easy for everyone to get on that plane,” he told Houston Public Media. “You would have to have a badge from your job, certificates, recommendation letters [from] where you worked before with the U.S. government.”

The family initially resettled in Dallas before moving to nearby Richardson about a year ago. There, Nazeer and his brother worked to rebuild their lives. His brother operated a trucking business, and Nazeer hoped to help support both families by driving commercial trucks while raising his six children.

But rebuilding proved more difficult than they expected. Recent federal restrictions prevented him from renewing his commercial driver’s license after he changed his address, limiting his ability to work, while the family was also trying to navigate changing rules surrounding SNAP food assistance. Friends and family say he spent much of his time taking care of his wife and six children.

That future ended on the morning of March 13.

A routine morning that turned into tragedy

According to his family, Nazeer was preparing to take four of his six children to school when two black SUVs pulled up outside the family’s home.

His wife and 12-year-old son believed he was being kidnapped.

Federal immigration agents detained Paktyawal and took him into custody in front of his family. His brother said Nazeer later called from detention, explaining that he had offered to show agents documentation demonstrating he had authorization to remain in the United States through 2029, but said the officers would not review the paperwork.

Later that evening, Nazeer called again.

“He said that, ‘I don’t know. Something is happening to me. I can’t breathe well. My whole body is in pain, and I’m shaking and sweating,'” his brother recalled.

An ICE agent later informed the family that Nazeer would be taken to a hospital but declined to identify which hospital before ending the call, according to his brother.

The following afternoon, while driving with both families’ children, his brother received another phone call.

Nazeer had died that morning at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.

He was 41 years old.

A family searching for answers

More than three months later, Paktyawal’s family says they still do not know exactly why he died.

His wife told reporters she tried to explain to agents during the arrest that Nazeer needed his inhaler. The family says those warnings were ignored.

After his brother reported difficulty breathing, the family repeatedly called 911 and sought information about where he had been taken for medical treatment. They say they were unable to obtain timely information before learning of his death the following day.

According to his family, doctors later told them Nazeer suffered an allergic reaction and swelling of his tongue. They say they have not received a complete explanation of what caused his death while in federal custody.

The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s investigation remains ongoing.

Questions over legal status and military service

Following Paktyawal’s death, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a public statement saying his humanitarian parole had expired the previous year. The agency also stated that he had previously been arrested on allegations involving SNAP benefits and theft, although no criminal charges were ultimately filed.

The department also stated there was no record of Paktyawal’s military service.

His family and veterans’ advocates strongly dispute that characterization.

Houston Public Media reviewed a certificate issued by U.S. Army Special Forces recognizing Paktyawal for his “sacrifice and service.” AfghanEvac, which has helped thousands of Afghan allies relocate to the United States, also confirmed that he had worked alongside American forces beginning in 2005.

Shawn VanDiver, president and board chairman of AfghanEvac, criticized the government’s response.

“It tells us everything we need to know that ICE focused on two arrests that did not result in charges or convictions, rather than the fact that a father of six, an otherwise healthy, 41-year-old man, died while in their custody,” VanDiver said. “Rather than offering condolences to the family, they called him a criminal and denigrated his service to our country.”

Understanding humanitarian parole

Like many Afghans evacuated after the fall of Kabul, Paktyawal entered the United States through humanitarian parole.

Humanitarian parole allowed Afghan families facing immediate danger to enter the United States quickly because returning to Afghanistan would have placed them at serious risk. It was designed as a temporary form of protection rather than permanent immigration status.

Many Afghan evacuees have since applied for asylum or other immigration pathways while continuing to work, raise families, and establish new lives in the United States.

Paktyawal’s family says he believed he had valid documentation allowing him to remain in the country while navigating that process.

Why this story matters

Paktyawal’s experience also reflects broader changes affecting many immigrant communities as federal policies governing work authorization, commercial driver’s licenses, and public benefits continue to evolve. There continues to be much concern about treatment of individuals who are detained.

Like many Marshallese families, he believed service to the United States would create opportunities and security for his children. His brother now finds himself supporting two households while caring for both families following Nazeer’s death—a responsibility familiar to many Marshallese families when a primary breadwinner is lost through illness, military service, detention, or deportation.

Marshallese citizens living in the United States have a different legal status under the Compact of Free Association and do not require visas to live and work in the country. However, Marshallese communities have also spent decades navigating complex federal policies affecting access to identification documents, public benefits, employment, and veterans’ services. Many Marshallese veterans have likewise served alongside U.S. forces while continuing to advocate for full recognition of benefits and legal protections.

The case also highlights the growing responsibilities of consular officials as immigration enforcement expands. Marshallese Consul General Eldon Alik has told Chikin Melele that Marshallese consular officials regularly visit immigration detention facilities and assist Marshallese citizens experiencing immigration-related issues.

For Paktyawal’s family, however, the most pressing question remains unanswered.

More than three months after a father of six who once helped protect American soldiers died while in federal custody, his wife, children, and brother still do not know precisely why.

As with the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, the case has renewed calls for transparency, accountability, and independent investigations whenever immigration enforcement operations or detention result in the loss of life.

How an Afghan man who aided U.S. military forces died in ICE custody in Texas – Houston Public Media

An Afghan Man Who Aided the U.S. Died in Custody. His Family Wants Answers.