🚨 BREAKING: An immigration judge ordered the release of Rihan, the 19-year-old Afghan high school senior ICE detained in Connecticut this month. Bond set at $1,500, the minimum. DHS did not oppose.
Full statement and what we're asking of Congress and DHS:
His name is Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal.
He fought alongside U.S. Special Forces.
He was a father of six.
He should still be alive.
We need answers:
- Why was he detained?
- What medical care did he receive?
- Why was the inhaler not provided, especially if identified during arrest?
- What caused his death?
Even if every allegation were true, it would not change this:
A man died in government custody in less than 24 hours.
The punishment for fraud is not death.
At the same time, DHS is trying to change the subject.
They are calling him a “criminal” based on allegations that were never adjudicated.
Allegations are not convictions.
Reporters should be working to confirm:
- What ICE was told
- What care he received
- What happened between arrest and hospitalization
A medical investigation is ongoing.
ICE says he complained of shortness of breath.
That matters.
Because now the question is simple:
Was a known, available inhaler provided to him when he needed it?
His wife says she told officers during the arrest that he needed it.
She says she tried to give them the inhaler.
She says they refused.
This is what the family meant when they said he was “denied care" in their statement.
The family has provided a photo of the inhaler, shared at the top of this thread.
It appears to be an albuterol rescue inhaler used for breathing issues.
Early on, when we asked the family about health concerns, they told us none.
As they process an unimaginable loss, more details are emerging.
We now understand he sometimes relied on an inhaler.
#BREAKING
New developments in the death of Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal.
A 41-year-old Afghan ally died less than 24 hours after entering ICE custody.
We now know he relied on an inhaler for breathing issues.
Another #AfghanEvac 🧵
Statement from AfghanEvac President Shawn VanDiver – March 16, 2026
Regarding misleading government statements on the death of Nazeer Paktyawal.
More at AfghanEvac.org/nazeer-death
Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal’s family has released a statement following his death less than 24 hours after entering ICE custody.
He was a husband, a father of six, and an Afghan wartime ally who worked alongside U.S. Special Forces.
The family has asked #AfghanEvac to share this statement.
STATEMENT
Nazeer was a 41 year old father of 6.
He died less than 24 hours after ICE detained him, while in their custody.
We need investigations now.
Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal, an Afghan wartime ally evacuated to the United States in August 2021, died less than 24 hours after ICE took him into custody in the Dallas area. He was taking his children to school.
@afghanevac.bsky.social
@shawnjvandiver.bsky.social
www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
#AfghanEvac statement in advance of tonight’s State of the Union Address.
#SOTU #StillWithUS #FinishTheMission
A New York Times headline this week got the Afghan SIV story wrong, and confusion helps no one.
We put together a clear, fact-based explainer on where the SIV program actually stands, because facts matter when lives are on the line.
afghanevac.org/siv-current-...
Heritage just dropped a report claiming Afghan relocation “failed the national security test.”
It relies on scare quotes, discredited sources, and deliberate conflation, and it erases Enduring Welcome entirely.
We published a rebuttal. AfghanEvac.org/heritage-rebuttal
Our weekly update for January 12, 2026 is out!
Go check it out and remember that you can get it in your inbox every Monday morning if you subscribe.
afghanevac.substack.com/p/monday-mor...
Our latest Monday Morning Update is out and it has a TON of information.
- Updated policy info
- Updated recommendations regarding interviews
- Letters from us to Congress (and all our correspondence)
Please read and share with your networks. #AfghanEvac
afghanevac.substack.com/p/monday-mor...
These are Afghan allies who stood with the U.S. They shouldn’t be punished by stalled processes or holiday enforcement.
America can and must do better.
Read #AfghanEvac President @shawnjvandiver.bsky.social 's latest in the Times of San Diego: timesofsandiego.com/opinion/2025...
Our latest Monday Morning update is out and it’s important.
Read it at afghanevac.substack.com/p/urgent-mon...
#ICE has been sending check in notices to Afghans (and others) to appear on Christmas Day (Dec 25) and New Years Day (Jan 1).
Visit AfghanEvac.org/ice to share your information with use so we can rally attorneys and other support in places where ICE is trying to ruin holidays.
Please share.
We need leaders with strong conviction to stand and be counted.
Public leadership SHOULD be about doing the hard things because they matter, even in the face of manufactured outrage.
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
#BREAKING: The President just ended exemptions to the travel ban for Afghan SIVs and immediate family members.
#AfghanEvac’s statement below, attributable to @shawnjvandiver.bsky.social
Our latest #MondayMorningUpdate is out and it's packed with information. Check it out today #AfghanEvac
afghanevac.substack.com/p/monday-mor...
This is a tragedy, not a scandal.
Check out #AfghanEvac President @shawnjvandiver.bsky.social’s latest on the subject in today’s @sandiegouniontribune.com
www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/12/10/o...
