'Unimaginable Cruelty': ICE Denies Father's Request to Attend Son's Funeral
One family member blames ICE for Wael Tarabishi's death from a degenerative genetic disease. "They killed him when they took his father away," she said.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials denied a detained Texas man's request for temporary release to attend this Thursday's planned funeral for his American son, whose death relatives have attributed to ICE's arrest of his father, who was also his primary caregiver.
Ali Elhorr, an attorney for Arlington resident Maher Tarabishi, told People that his client's request for humanitarian release to attend his American son Wael Tarabishi's funeral was denied Tuesday.
Maher Tarabishi, 62, was arrested by ICE enforcers last October 28 amid the Trump administration's deadly anti-immigrant crackdown. Originally from Jordan, he came to the United States on a tourist visa in 1994 and sought political asylum after the visa expired. He is currently being held in Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas.
"He had check-ins with ICE every year," said Elhorr. "Never missed a single one. Was never late to one."
Maher Tarabishi was detained in October during a scheduled check-in at an ICE facility.He was the primary caretaker of his son, who died last week.The family is seeking Maher's release so he can attend his son's funeral.ICE reportedly denied the request.Unimaginable cruelty.
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— Robert Reich (@rbreich.bsky.social) January 28, 2026 at 10:31 AM
However, the Trump administration accused Maher Tarabishi of being a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories and a recipient of millions of dollars in US assistance.
However, the PLO is also considered a terrorist organization by the US government. Maher Tarabishi, his relatives, and his lawyer say he is not affiliated with any terror group.
Wael Tarabishi was diagnosed with Pompe disease—a rare progressive genetic disorder—when he was 4 years old. At the time of his arrest, Maher Tarabishi was his son's primary caregiver.
On November 20, Wael Tarabishi was hospitalized and diagnosed with sepsis and pneumonia in both lungs, according to Shahd Arnaout, who is Maher Tarabishi's daugther-in-law.
"Maher was his caregiver, his father, his best friend, his everything," Arnaout told People Wednesday.
Wael Tarabishi was in and out of the hospital until his death last Friday.
“I blame ICE,” Arnaout told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Wednesday. “Maybe they did not kill Wael with a bullet, but they killed him when they took his father away.”
Arnaout said her family initially requested that Maher Tarabishi be freed so he could continue caring for his son at their home—which she said is equipped like a mini-hospital—and keep on fighting their insurance company to get critical care.
“Wael is a US citizen, and he was asking for his dad to be next to him while he’s dying,” Arnaout said. “His country failed him.”