'Because of My Vote... He's Dead': Trump Voter Breaks Down After His Brother Dies in ICE Custody

Naseer Paktiawal says he will regret voting for Donald Trump for the rest of his life. It was the first presidential ballot he cast as a US citizen, and he believed Trump would protect immigrants like his older brother. Months later, that brother, 41-year-old Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, died while in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), leaving behind six children whom Naseer is now helping to raise.

Mohammad was taken into custody outside his home in Richardson, Texas, on 13 March as he prepared to take some of his children to school, according to his family. He died the following day. An autopsy later found that he died from anaphylaxis complicating an acute asthma exacerbation. Anaphylaxis is a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.

The report, released on 12 August, also listed the toxic effects of methamphetamine, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and cigarette smoking as contributing factors.

The Call From the Holding Room

Mohammad had worked alongside US Army Special Forces in Afghanistan's Paktika province since 2005, according to AfghanEvac. After the Taliban took Kabul in 2021, he and his family were evacuated from Afghanistan. He entered the US in August 2021 under humanitarian parole, a temporary immigration status. ICE said the parole expired on 20 August 2025. His asylum application was still pending when ICE detained him.

Mohammad called his brother from the ICE holding room that evening and complained of breathing problems and body pain. Naseer went to the ICE Dallas Field Office and called an ambulance. He later said his brother told him no medic had checked on him.

Mohammad was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital at about 11:30 p.m. on 13 March. The next morning, his tongue swelled while he was eating breakfast. Medical staff gave him epinephrine and attempted lifesaving measures. He was pronounced dead at 9:10 a.m., about 40 minutes after the emergency response began.

Family members said they were not told about his death until noon. 'We just want the truth,' Naseer said at a news conference in July. ICE says people in its custody receive emergency medical care when needed.

An ICE report says Mohammad was checked at the field office and did not report any illnesses or allergies. His wife says officers would not accept the inhaler he used for asthma. ICE has not publicly responded to the allegation.

What the Autopsy Says

Family members and former co-workers say they never knew Mohammad to use methamphetamine. A second examination arranged by the family could not test for the drug because no blood remained. The family has questioned the methamphetamine finding, but the private examination could neither confirm nor disprove it.

Scott Shuchart, a former ICE policy official, told Houston Public Media that there should not be access to methamphetamine for detainees. He also questioned why Mohammad's breathing problem could not have been treated at the ICE facility.

The death certificate lists 12 March as the date of the injury and gives 11:30 p.m. at an ICE facility as the location and time. That is nearly 12 hours before ICE detained him on 13 March. The discrepancy does not establish when the injury occurred.

Questions Over His Immigration Case

ICE described Mohammad as a 'criminal illegal alien' when it announced his death and cited two 2025 cases involving alleged SNAP fraud and theft. He had not been convicted in either case.

A Dallas County grand jury had indicted him on a third-degree felony charge involving fraudulent use of SNAP benefits worth $200 or more. In a separate case, Garland police arrested him on suspicion of misdemeanour theft, but the case was not filed with the district attorney's office.

Shawn VanDiver, head of AfghanEvac, said the family had a right to know what happened. Senator Richard Blumenthal said he would press DHS for records and was prepared to work with Sen. Ron Johnson to subpoena documents if DHS did not provide them voluntarily.

Dallas County had previously withheld the autopsy report, citing an ongoing federal investigation, before releasing it on 12 August. At the time of his death, Paktiawal was the 12th person known to have died in ICE custody in 2026.

Naseer is now helping support his brother's widow and their six children while caring for his own family. He says he wants a clear explanation of what happened to his brother rather than seeing the matter treated as resolved.