Some Afghans are being detained by the country they risked their lives for
ICE has targeted some who assisted Americans during the Afghanistan war.
Originally promised a new life for risking theirs while serving alongside U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, some Afghan allies are now fighting an unexpected battle on American soil.
In January 2025, President Donald Trump stalled the refugee resettlement process when he signed Executive Order 14163 into law, Afghan allies told ABC News they have felt abandoned.
After working for the U.S. government, Naseer Paktiawal obtained a visa and moved to America in 2014 with his wife. He was inspired to work for the U.S. by his older brother, Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, who worked for almost a decade as a Special Forces soldier.
Wanting to reunite, the brothers kept in touch over the years while living in different countries. When the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021 after nearly 20 years, Nazeer sought refuge with the Americans, knowing any connection to the U.S. government could mean retaliation at the hands of the Taliban.
Naseer told ABC News his brother quickly escaped and was waiting to leave at the Kabul airport when the Taliban showed up at his family home, asking specifically for his older brother Nazeer. After being vetted and evacuated from Afghanistan, Nazeer was brought to Texas through the U.S. government and later moved into the same apartment complex as his brother.
After Naseer's brother was detained and died within 24 hours in ICE custody, he moved far from that complex.
"I don't want to see that place anymore. I can't look at it," Naseer told us through tears. "I'm still thinking maybe they are mistaken; it's not my brother."
On Friday, March 13, ICE agents surrounded the car as Nazeer was taking his children to school.
"I was standing there, and then they came and just took him," his son, Imran Paktiawal, told ABC News. "I thought they were going to release him back, not do this to him."
At the time of his detainment, his family said they pleaded with agents, asking them to take his inhaler. The family claimed they were ignored.
"Whenever my mom was trying to give them the inhaler, they didn't listen to us," Nazeer's son told ABC News.
ICE said in a statement that Nazeer's humanitarian parole had expired, leading to his arrest.
His family said they were never notified. In the same statement, the agency said Nazeer did not report any prior medical conditions at the time of his arrest.
After being placed in the ICE facility, hours before his death, Nazeer reached out to his little brother from inside the facility, asking for help. His brother told ABC News that he drove to the ICE facility and called an ambulance.
"Within 10 minutes I saw an ambulance come in the front of the gate," he said.
He told ABC News he then called to check in on his brother, telling him he sent an ambulance that morning to check on him, and in response his brother said, "What ambulance?"
That same night, he was taken to Dallas' Parkland Hospital after complaining of chest pain. He was declared dead the next morning.
A medical examiner's report ruled Nazeer's death accidental, caused by an allergic reaction to an undisclosed antibiotic and asthma. It also listed methamphetamine as a contributing factor, although Nazeer's family says he did not use drugs.
He is one of several Afghans who have been detained by ICE.
Sayed Naser, a former interpreter who helped U.S. military forces during the war, was detained on June 12, 2025.
On Sept. 26, 2025, a federal district judge in San Diego ordered his release.
"Millions of Americans were disappointed; they stand with me," Sayed said in a press conference afterwards.
He has since been approved for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV).
Then in July 2025, another former Afghan interpreter, Zia, who is being identified by his first name only, was detained in Connecticut and spent two months in detention. Months later, Zia's 18-year-old son, Rihan, was detained by ICE on his first day of spring break. Both have since been released.
According to the State Department, more than 190,000 Afghans have resettled in the US under the Biden administration programs Operation Allies Welcome and Enduring Welcome -- emergency efforts to resettle those at risk in the U.S.
Both programs were a way for the U.S. government to keep its promises when its forces left Afghanistan and the Afghan government collapsed, which allowed the Taliban to take over again. The Biden administration expanded opportunities for certain Afghans at risk, granting temporary humanitarian parole to many without immigration status.
ABC News reached out to the White House in response to the fears Afghan allies have of detainment, retaliation, or deportation by the U.S. government. They did not respond.
Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and founder of non-profit advocacy group Afghan Evac, told ABC News that the U.S. has a responsibility towards the Afghans brought here.
"Some people who have been here for years that were already cleared, fought alongside U.S. forces, are being detained by the very same government," he said.
Since the withdrawal, AfghanEvac has been advocating for Afghan refugees on the ground and overseas.
"The comparison between what ICE is doing and what the Taliban does -- they left Afghanistan because they feared persecution from their government. They feared that they would be hurt or killed because they stood alongside American forces," VanDiver said. "Now, they're here. They fear they're going to be hurt or killed."
Regarding Nazeer Paktiawal's case, an ICE statement highlighted his alleged SNAP fraud and petty theft charges, which were not resolved by the time of his death.
"He was on food stamps. He lost his access to food stamps because of the one big beautiful bill," VanDiver said. "They charged him for SNAP fraud because he bought dishes. The other charge was that he was stealing groceries. The penalty for stealing groceries isn't a death sentence."
His brother Naseer echoed the fears Afghan allies face since his brother's death and others' detainments.
"I'm just scared, worried, about what's going to happen next. Any Afghan you see in this community ... even though some of them are U.S. citizens, green card holders; they're scared for it," he told ABC News. "Because they don't trust this administration anymore."
He noted that his first vote was for Trump, and said he'll regret it for the rest of his life.
"I don't believe this administration. I'm mostly guilty of my brother, because of me, because [of] my voting, he got arrested and he lost his life," he said. "And I'm never going to forgive myself for that."
Naseer recalled that he and his brother used to drive trucks together for a living, until his brother's license got downgraded under a new federal rule. It restricted specific license types issued to people who work legally in the U.S. but do not have a green card or citizenship.
After that, Nazeer began working at an Afghan food market where customers would come in specifically for his naan.
"He was making 300 to 400 breads every single day. They loved it," Naseer said.
He said his brother loved to spend time with his family, cooking barbecue, watching action movies and playing pool, saying those are the memories he hopes his family holds onto.
"I loved him, my dad, and I always will," Imran, Nazeer's son, told ABC News while remembering his father.
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