Dallas County Releases Autopsy Report in ICE Custody Death

North Texas officials have released an autopsy report in the death of an Afghan asylum seeker who died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in March. For readers in Houston, the case adds to broader scrutiny of detention conditions and medical care inside the federal immigration system in Texas.

The man, identified in previous reporting as a 29-year-old Afghan asylum seeker, died while being held at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, south of Fort Worth. Dallas County released the autopsy report months after his death. The report, as cited by Texas Public Radio, found that he died from complications tied to untreated schizophrenia and severe dehydration, and it classified the death as natural.

Autopsy report adds detail to March ICE custody death

Texas Public Radio reported that the man had been in ICE custody when his health declined. The newly released autopsy states that he experienced marked weight loss, dehydration, and psychiatric deterioration before his death. The report also notes that he had schizophrenia.

His death drew attention from immigration advocates and civil rights groups after questions emerged about his access to medical and mental health care while in detention. Federal records and earlier reports had already placed a spotlight on the circumstances around the March death, but the autopsy provides a more complete medical account.

Case draws ongoing attention to detention conditions in Texas

The detention center where the man died is operated under contract for ICE. Deaths in immigration custody are reviewed by federal authorities, and those cases often lead to calls for outside oversight, especially when mental health care is part of the timeline.

Texas plays a central role in the federal immigration detention network, with facilities spread across the state. That makes cases like this one relevant well beyond Dallas County, including in Houston, where legal aid groups, refugee organizations, and immigrant communities closely follow detention policy and custody deaths.

No new criminal finding was reported in connection with the autopsy release. Public attention is likely to remain on any additional federal review, internal ICE reporting, or statements from the detention center operator and the asylum seeker's family or advocates as the case moves forward.

This article is a summary of reporting by Texas Public Radio. Read the full story here.