The body of Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal was returned Tuesday to a mosque in Richardson, Texas, where members of his community gathered in prayer and mourning before his remains were to be sent to Afghanistan.
“We have thousands of questions and no answers yet,” said Asad Noorzay, a community member and friend of the family, CBS News Texas reported.
Key questions center on why Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Paktiawal and how he died one day later. North Texas Rep. Julie Johnson visited the ICE facility on Monday and pressed officials for details.
“Well, according to the agents at the facility today, they said that he… his legal status had expired, that he had not renewed the process to stay here with his permit intact,” Johnson said, per CBS.
Paktiawal’s immigration attorney told CBS News Texas that his asylum case was still pending at the time of his detention, and any termination would have prompted notification to the attorney of record.
ICE and the Department of Homeland Security referred to Paktiawal in statements as a “criminal illegal alien,” noting an arrest for alleged fraudulent use of food stamps and theft, but no convictions were mentioned. Johnson said agents also cited missed asylum-related appointments, though the attorney disputes that account.
“He was not illegal. He supported, directly, our Special Forces military operations in Afghanistan. He worked shoulder to shoulder with the U.S.,” Noorzay said.
The family continues to grieve while pressing for clarity.
“Of course, I miss him. Every moment, every second, I have his voice in my ear calling my name to watch out for my kids, I’m gone, forever,” Naseer Paktiawal said Sunday evening.
ICE said its investigation is ongoing. The agency reported that Paktiawal complained of chest pain and shortness of breath while in custody, was taken to Parkland Hospital, and died there. No official cause of death has been released.
