Dallas County has released the autopsy report for an Afghan immigrant who died in U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in March, classifying the man's death as an accident. The county had earlier declined to release the report, citing an ongoing federal criminal investigation.
The medical examiner for the Texas county said Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, died as the result of anaphylaxis complicating acute asthma exacerbation. He also noted methamphetamine in Paktiawal's system was a contributing cause of his death, together with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and a history of cigarette smoking.
Paktiawal’s family, which has not yet publicly commented on the autopsy report ahead of a news conference planned for next week, previously disputed that he had used illegal drugs.
Scott Shuchart is an attorney who served as assistant director for regulatory affairs and policy counselor to the director at ICE from 2022 to 2025.
"There certainly shouldn’t be access to methamphetamine for detainees," Shuchart said. "So, if it’s correct that that was something that contributed cause of death, that’s quite concerning. And then, if it was primarily some kind of asthma-type reaction, why couldn't that have been treated successfully on-site?"
Paktiawal served alongside U.S. Army Special Forces in Afghanistan for more than a decade before being resettled in Texas in 2021, after Kabul fell to the Taliban. He was seized by ICE outside his home near Dallas on March 13 as he was preparing to take his children to school. He was taken to Dallas’ Parkland Hospital that evening after complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath, according to his family.
The following morning, Paktiawal had an anaphylactic reaction following the administration of an antibiotic, the autopsy report states. The hospital staff attempted to resuscitate him without success, according to a March statement by ICE. Paktiawal was pronounced dead at 9:10 a.m. Resuscitation attempts were noted in the autopsy report.
Following Paktiawal’s death, Houston Public Media received a statement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The department said that Paktiawal's humanitarian parole expired last year. It also said Paktiawal had been arrested for alleged SNAP fraud and theft last year. However, no charges were filed.
Homeland Security also released a social media post claiming there was no record of Nazeer's military service. Houston Public Media has viewed a certificate from U.S. Army Special Forces thanking Paktiawal for his "sacrifice and service."
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin promised U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, during a hearing roughly two months ago that he would conduct an investigation into Paktiawal’s death. DHS did not immediately respond to a request from Houston Public Media for information on the status of that investigation.
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