ICE’s Latest Victims Were 41 and 31 and Healthy Before They Died on the Agency’s Watch

So far in 2026, at least 14 individuals have died on ICE’s watch. In February alone: a 41-year-old individual died less than a day after he was put in ICE custody; another individual was killed in a homicide, though his ICE report never clarified exactly how; and a blind refugee who fled Myanmar died after he was abandoned at an empty coffee shop by border patrol agents. This past weekend, we learned of two more casualties, wherein two seemingly normal and healthy asylum-seekers died at the hands of federal agents.

On Friday, Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal was arrested while preparing to drop his kids off at school in Richardson, Texas. The 41-year-old Afghan immigrant had helped U.S. special forces with its military operations in Afghanistan since 2005, and was evacuated—by the federal government—to the U.S. in 2021 with his wife and six kids. He was pronounced dead Saturday morning. 

While the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office listed no official cause of death, Paktyawal’s younger brother told Dallas News that he’d been getting texts from his brother throughout Friday night, saying he wasn’t feeling well. At approximately 11 p.m., Paktyawal reportedly told his brother over the phone that he was experiencing chest pains and a shortness of breath. He was pronounced dead by the medical examiner’s office at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

“He was healthy,” one of his friends told Dallas News. “From the outside, everyone could see a healthy man.” 

Of course, the Department of Homeland Security has spun an entirely different story: in a press release on Sunday, not only did they spell Paktyawal’s name wrong, they claimed he was a “criminal illegal alien” who committed SNAP fraud and theft. His family denies these allegations. DHS also said he “was eating breakfast when medical staff noted that his tongue had become swollen, prompting a medical response,” and that he was declared deceased “after multiple lifesaving efforts were attempted.” Sure. Because the agency is so trustworthy.

But the search for details surrounding ICE deaths is becoming an all-too-familiar pattern. Earlier this month, 31-year-old Haitian immigrant Daphy Michel was also found dead at a bus station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, five days after she was released into the hands of federal agents. Her story was reported on Friday by ABC affiliate WTAE, which spoke to her brother about the suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.

Michel had been seeking asylum in the U.S. from Haiti since 2022, when she entered a Texas port of entry. She was arrested in September after her neighbor called the police because she—according to court documents—was experiencing “significant mental health episodes.” After being booked into a Washington County Jail on a $10,000 bond for six months, she was finally seen by a judge on February 26, who dismissed all charges against her. “At the court, I saw my sister,” Michel’s brother told WTAE. “She wasn’t having any problem.” He recounted to WTAE that he was waiting for a call to pick up his sister.

The next day, Michel was released to an ICE office in Pittsburgh—nearly an hour from her home. There, she was put into an “Alternative to Detention Program,” or ICE’s way of tracking people with pending immigration cases with surveillance tools, like ankle monitors. She was found by maintenance workers alone, unresponsive, and still wearing her ankle monitor. 

In its statement on Michel’s death, ICE said it did not receive a tamper alert on her monitor until March 3, or when the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office cut it off her leg—meaning they’d known, the entire time, where she was. The agency has also failed to explain why Michel was released so far from her home and family, whether they did any welfare checks when she went missing, or if they took any precautions—especially given her history with mental health. 

2025 was the deadliest year for ICE since 2005, with 31 documented deaths. As of February, the Guardian reports Trump’s deportation campaign has led to the arrests of nearly 400,000; the detentions of nearly 70,000; and the deportations of nearly 397,000. And while it’d be nice to think that all this might get a smidge better without DHS Secretary Kristi Noem at the helm—her likely successor will likely be worse.

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