An Afghan immigrant who worked with U.S. forces died in ICE custody in Dallas on Saturday after complaining of chest pain, authorities said. His family and a refugee assistance group dispute the government’s description of him as a “criminal,” saying he had no convictions and served alongside American troops for a decade.

Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, 41, was taken to Parkland Hospital early Saturday after experiencing shortness of breath and chest pain during a medical intake exam at an ICE field office, according to an ICE spokesperson. His tongue became swollen later that morning, and medical staff performed CPR before he was pronounced dead at 9:10 a.m. CDT. A cause of death is pending from the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office.

“No one in ICE custody is denied access to proper medical care,” the spokesperson said. The agency said the death remains under investigation.

#AfghanEvac, a San Diego-based group that resettles Afghans who assisted the U.S. military, challenged the official account. “Calling a man a criminal without a conviction while claiming there is ‘no record’ of service without checking interagency systems looks less like fact-finding and more like damage control,” said Shawn VanDiver, the group’s president. “The government should be explaining how a 41-year-old father of six died less than 24 hours after entering ICE custody.”

ICE stated that Paktyawal had been arrested for alleged fraudulent use of food stamps on September 16 and for theft on November 1. A Dallas County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson confirmed an active felony case against him for SNAP fraud over $200, a third-degree felony that has not been resolved. Garland police said he was arrested November 1 for alleged shoplifting from Walmart, a misdemeanor that had not been filed with prosecutors.

Paktyawal’s family said he had applied for asylum and his case was pending, while ICE claimed he had missed asylum appointments. “We still cannot understand how this happened. He was only 41 years old and was a strong and healthy man. His children keep asking when their father will come home,” the family said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson, who visited the Dallas ICE field office Monday, said the Department of Homeland Security and ICE have a history of “lying and misrepresenting” the backgrounds of people they arrest. “He was not a violent criminal, as President Trump likes to say when he’s rounding up these folks,” said Johnson, a Democrat representing parts of Dallas County. “He was working as a baker. He was providing for his family and contributing to our economy. And so we have a lot of questions of why was this gentleman targeted? Why was he picked up? And why did he die in their custody?”

Paktyawal had served alongside U.S. military special forces in Afghanistan for a decade and came to the United States following the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021. “The U.S. brought him here because of the role Afghans like him played in supporting the American mission,” VanDiver said. Paktyawal, who was married, had been living in Richardson, a Dallas suburb.

Deaths in ICE custody have increased during President Donald Trump’s second term. The agency reported 14 custody deaths from the start of the fiscal year October 1 through January 6, well on pace to surpass the previous 12-month count of 24. ICE reported 12 custody deaths in the 2024 fiscal year and 12 in the previous three years combined. The agency’s detained population has grown to more than 70,000 from about 40,000 at the start of the term, with plans to spend $38.3 billion to boost capacity to 92,600 beds by the end of November, including converted warehouses that house up to 10,000 each.