Son and brother of Afghan man who died in ICE custody demand answers

2 hours ago 8

Dallas — The household of an Afghan migrant who died one time aft being taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement successful Texas says it has received nary answers arsenic to what caused the man's death.

Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, was detained by ICE connected March 13 portion getting acceptable to instrumentality his children to school. He died the pursuing time successful a Dallas hospital.

"I conscionable privation answers for my dad," 12-year-old Imrain Paktiawal, Paktiawal's son, told CBS News successful Richardson, Texas. "That's it. I privation to cognize wherefore helium died. He was healthy."

The begetter of six is the 12th idiosyncratic to dice successful ICE custody truthful acold this year. Thirty-one ICE detainees died past year, a two-decade high, according to a CBS News investigation of bureau reports and notices.

Naseer Paktiawal told CBS News he received his brother's body on Tuesday.

"I received a telephone from my sister-in-law," Naseer said of the greeting his member was taken into ICE custody. "She accidental that, 'Some radical amusement up from nowhere, and they conscionable took your brother.'"

Naseer said the household received nary mentation arsenic to wherefore Paktiawal was detained.

"Nothing, they conscionable enactment him successful their car and drove away," Naseer said. "His kids were screaming, asking for help, asking question, 'Who are you guys? Why are you guys arresting my father, my dad?' No 1 answered those children."

In a connection provided to CBS News, ICE said Paktiawal was brought to the U.S. successful August 2021, done an immigration policy cognize arsenic parole, which allows definite immigrants to unrecorded and enactment successful the U.S. temporarily connected humanitarian grounds. The Biden medication used the parole policy to invited tens of thousands of Afghans it evacuated from Afghanistan pursuing the Taliban takeover. ICE said Paktiawal's parole presumption expired connected Aug. 20, 2025.

ICE besides said Paktiawal had been arrested doubly past twelvemonth successful the Dallas country connected section fraud and theft charges. The Dallas County District Attorney confirmed the arrests but said helium had not been convicted successful either lawsuit arsenic of the clip of his death. The theft apprehension stemmed from an allegation that helium stole groceries and different items from a Walmart store, according to the Garland, Texas, constabulary department.

Naseer, however, said the arrests don't archer the afloat communicative of his brother's life. He points to Paktiawal's service, which helium said included a decennary successful the Afghan military, warring alongside American forces earlier being evacuated to the U.S. successful 2021.

"My brother, helium was a wartime leader and helium was a soldier, a warrior alongside with U.S. Army," Naseer said. "He was peculiar forces successful the astir unsafe places successful Afghanistan."

In a statement, DHS said it "has nary grounds of this idiosyncratic serving alongside American forces." But Naseer showed CBS News documents and a badge that helium says are grounds that Paktiawal fought alongside U.S. soldiers successful Afghanistan.

"These are the radical that my member was moving (with), American soldiers successful Afghanistan," Naseer said.

Naseer said his member came to the U.S. legally and was "interviewed, fingerprinted, screened."

"He did not transverse the border," Naseer said. "Legally went done each the system, implicit each the procedures, not conscionable him…his full family."

It is inactive unclear precisely what happened aft Paktiawal was detained. According to the connection from ICE, connected the nighttime of March 13, Paktiawal was "immediately" taken to Parkland Health infirmary successful Dallas aft helium "began complaining of shortness of enactment and thorax pains portion successful an ICE Dallas Field Office processing clasp room."

ICE said Paktiawal remained astatine the infirmary "for observation," and the pursuing morning, helium "was eating meal erstwhile aesculapian unit noted that his lingua had go swollen, prompting a aesculapian response. After aggregate lifesaving efforts were attempted, helium was declared deceased astatine 9:10 a.m."

Naseer said helium spoke to his member by telephone connected March 13, the time helium was detained.

"The archetypal happening that I heard from him, helium said, 'Naseer, I don't cognize wherever americium I close now, and I'm not feeling well,'" Naseer said of their conversation. "That's the archetypal connection that I heard from him, 'I'm not feeling well.' I told him, 'OK, truthful fto maine speech to whoever that serviceman is.'"

Naseer said his member past handed the telephone to a national migration officer.

"And helium manus implicit the phone, and I told him (the migration officer) that my member needs help, he's not feeling good," Naseer recounted. "He's…feeling symptom successful his body. He (the officer) told me, 'Don't interest astir it…we person nurse. We volition instrumentality attraction of him.' And helium bent up the telephone connected me."

Naseer says the household inactive has not received answers arsenic to the origin of his brother's death. ICE said the decease remains nether investigation.

"Nobody's answering to maine that what happened to my brother," Naseer said. "Why is helium dead?"

Meanwhile, Imrain says his father's lack is hard to process.

"He was a bully dad…He was a hero, and helium volition ever beryllium a hero."

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