Noem’s Horseback Hustle Amid the Body Bags
Afghan Heroes and U.S. Moms Gunned Down. How Markwayne Mullin’s Playbook Promises More Corpses in the Chaos
By Gina Hill | Alaska Headline Living | March 16, 2026
ICE burst onto the scene in 2003 after 9/11. It was born from the Homeland Security Act that fused INS pieces into a massive machine for hunting immigrants, locking them up, and shipping them out. It ballooned under former President Barack Obama (2009-2017), deporting more than 3 million people while dodging lawsuits over ripping kids from parents and leaning on for-profit prisons. Biden (2021-2025) shrank beds to 40,000 with tighter oversight, but still saw more than 20 deaths despite improved medical rules.
Trump’s first go-round (2017-2021) cranked it to 50,000 beds under “zero tolerance.” It logged 21 custody deaths that previewed the carnage ahead.
Renee Good, 37-year-old mother, left, and Alex Pretti, 37-year-old ICU nurse and man, both Minnesota residents gunned down in separate incidents by federal agents in January 2026: Good by ICE on January 7, Pretti by Border Patrol two weeks later amid Kristi Noem’s deadly raids. These unarmed U.S. citizens became symbols of DHS impunity, smeared as “threats” by Noem while she filmed horseback ads, fueling the outrage that got her fired.
That was the worst in 20 years, tripling 2024’s toll. It saw 11 more by March 2026, mostly from ignored septic shocks or no insulin. Shootings exploded too: Renee Good, 37-year-old Minneapolis mom, was blasted by ICE on January 7. Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was taken out by Border Patrol two weeks later. These shootings were among 8-9 early 2026 fatalities, as ICE inspections fell 36% and external medical payments were cut, straining care amid 70,000+ detainees.
Enter Kristi Noem, DHS boss from January 2025 to her March 5, 2026 axe: she greenlit the raids, shrugged off the bodies as “pre-existing problems,” and smeared victims like Good and Pretti as “threats” or “terrorists” in hearings. Those were lies that tanked her amid $220 million ad flops and blocked probes. Trump booted her, but parked her in a “security envoy” cush gig.
Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, 41-year-old Afghan asylum seeker who collaborated with U.S. special forces since 2005, died in ICE custody in Texas on March 14, 2026. This happened less than 24 hours after his detention while dropping his six children off at school. Evacuated to the U.S. in 2021 amid the Taliban takeover, he lived in a Dallas suburb awaiting asylum approval and worked at a local halal market. Advocacy group AfghanEvac called his death suspicious for a healthy man and demanded an investigation.
DHSgov X post whitewashing Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal’s March 14, 2026 death in custody: Labels the U.S. special forces ally a “criminal illegal alien” with “NO RECORD of military service,” citing expired parole and food stamp arrests, while claiming instant EMS rushed him to Parkland Hospital for chest pain—where he died despite CPR. No denial of care, they insist, as ICE offers “comprehensive” services to all “aliens.” AfghanEvac calls BS on the healthy dad’s sudden demise, but this spin shields the slaughterhouse.
Now Oklahoma’s Markwayne Mullin, ex-MMA brawler and MAGA diehard, steps up as nominee. He vows “relentless” sweeps to echo Noem without the “distractions,” as detainees top 73,000 in unchecked hellholes. With Afghan ally Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal dying in Texas custody just days ago after fighting for U.S. troops since 2005, this isn’t policy. It’s a slaughterhouse upgrade.
Trump’s ICE Pick Hid from the Mob He Now Wants to Unleash on Immigrants. Will He Duck the Death Toll Too?
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Trump’s nominee for DHS Secretary, cowers among House chamber seats on January 6, 2021, as Trump supporters storm the Capitol in his failed bid to cling to power. The ex-MMA fighter, who later texted aides begging Trump to call off the chaos instead of confronting it himself, now eyes overseeing ICE’s slaughterhouse amid 40+ custody deaths and fatal shootings like those of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Will this seat-cushion hero clean up the blood or just hide again? (Congressional photo from social media posts)
Primary Sources Used
- Congressional Letters and Releases: Hickenlooper Senate press release on ICE deaths; Walkinshaw House demand for documents from Noem after 53 deaths; Jayapal letter to Noem on detention fatalities; Durbin Senate Democrats alarm on death increase.
- Advocacy and Watchdog Reports: American Immigration Council on 2026 deaths/shootings; WOLA U.S.-Mexico border update on detention deaths.
- News Investigations: Guardian on Afghan asylum seeker death; Axios on 20-year high under Trump; LA Times on medical care surge; NPR on deadliest year since 2004; Prospect on ICE killed/injured list including Good/Pretti.
- Wikipedia Compilations: List of deaths in ICE detention.
- DHS/Agency Statements: Reuters on 11 custody deaths in 2026.
- Noem Firing Coverage: NBC News; NPR; GovExec; Reuters.
