They killed him inside’: ICE kept father captive until his disabled son dies, then rips away his last chance at peace

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has officially denied Maher Tarabishi the chance to attend his son Wael’s funeral. This is a heartbreaking final blow to a family already devastated by Wael’s death while his father was held in detention.

The family had urgently requested that Maher be allowed to attend the services for his 30-year-old son, who required constant care due to a severe, progressive muscle disorder. For years, Maher and Wael were completely inseparable. Wael suffered from Pompe disease, and Maher wasn’t just his best friend, he was his entire support system.

Wael’s mother noted back in November that Maher was his son’s “case manager, his equipment company, his doctor, his everything.” Because of this critical role, Maher, who is Jordan-born, was allowed to remain in the US under supervised release, even after his asylum claim was denied in 2006.

ICE kills and then denies any kind of catharsis

This arrangement worked until late October when Maher went for a routine visit to an ICE field office in Dallas. Despite making this same visit for years, he was detained. Since he was arrested, Maher has been part of the majority of ICE detainees who don’t have a criminal record. This is a truly tragic situation, and the detention had immediate, dire consequences for Wael.

Without his father’s specialized care, Wael’s condition spiraled fast. He was repeatedly hospitalized and underwent multiple surgeries. All the while, the family desperately pleaded with the federal government to release Maher or at least grant him the ability to communicate with his son. Every single request was ignored or flat-out denied.

Wael died in the hospital on January 23. The Tarabishis haven’t been able to contact Maher directly; they have to wait until he calls them from the detention center, which is roughly three hours away from their home. When he finally called and heard the news, he didn’t believe it at first. “No, no, this is not happening,” he told them over the phone. “Wael promised me that he will wait for me. Wael promised me that he’s going to see me one last time.”

His daughter-in-law, Shahd Arnaout, shared that crushing feeling of broken promises. As reported by The Guardian, she said, “I promised Wael a lot that you’re not going to die without seeing your father. That’s a promise from me, but it didn’t happen.”

Following Wael’s death, the family and their attorney, Ali Elhorr, immediately asked ICE to allow Maher to attend the funeral under supervision. Elhorr even shared documentation showing that officers were discussing arrangements, which gave the family real hope. Elhorr said there were “preliminary steps already being taken,” including moving Maher to a detention center closer to home so he could attend the service.

But then the final word came “from higher up”: denial. ICE claimed that an official request had not been made, but Elhorr’s documentation showed clearly that the request was being discussed as early as Monday morning. ICE lies make it so hard to trust the government, even the FBI keeps losing people over it.

ICE has repeatedly claimed that Maher is associated with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which the US at one time claimed was a terrorist organization. Elhorr completely disputes this, stating, “This PLO claim really has come out of nowhere for us. Maher was not part of the PLO.”

“ICE is responsible for the death of Wael Tarabishi,” Arnaout said. “They may not have killed him with a bullet, but they killed him inside. They killed him mentally.” She added that while the family has each other to lean on, Maher is completely alone in detention. As she prepares to attend the funeral without him, Arnaout hopes people pay attention to what ICE is doing, stressing, “People need to open their eyes and look around. This is the reality that we live in.” This entire situation is devastating, and it’s hard to imagine the pain this family is experiencing.