Members of Congress are demanding answers following the death of a Richardson man who died a day after being taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. The nonprofit AfghanEvac said Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal came to the United States seeking asylum in 2021 after serving alongsid e U.S. troops as an Afghan Special Forces soldier. The organization said he was evacuated by the U.S. Paktyawal’s family previously told NBC 5 that ICE officers detained the 41-year-old father of six outside his Richardson apartment in March. At the time, federal immigration officials called Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal a “criminal” who had been arrested for alleged fraudulent use of food stamps and for theft. Officials also said Paktyawal had not provided any record of his military service. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Paktyawal told family members he was not feeling well after his medical intake examination at the Dallas field office. DHS said he later complained of shortness of breath and chest pain. He was taken to Parkland Hospital, where he died the following morning. A recently released death certificate lists anaphylaxis complicating asthma as the cause of death. The death certificate also lists methamphetamine use, heart disease and cigarette smoking as contributing factors. It identifies the date of injury as two days before Paktyawal’s death, one day before he was detained. His loved ones told NBC 5 they never knew him to use drugs and have questioned the information contained in the death certificate. Now, U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson of Texas and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who serves on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, are calling on ICE to release the full autopsy report. “My office has repeatedly asked DHS for basic information: What medical care was provided? How quickly did officers respond? Why wasn’t an ambulance immediately dispatched? Who made those decisions? Where are the records? Where is the video? Why has Congress still not received any answers?” said Representative Johnson. Dallas County officials told NBC 5 they cannot release the report because ICE has not authorized its release due to a pending criminal investigation. Blumenthal said withholding the records raises concerns. “Let me just say very simply, what’s happening here smacks of a cover-up. Without being unfair to ICE or the Department of Homeland Security, the refusal to release these records creates doubts and suspicions that raise the specter of some kind of cover-up.” The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office told NBC 5 the case is a federal law enforcement matter. NBC 5 also reached out to ICE for comment and is awaiting a response. ...read more read less