ICE Denies Detainee’s Request to Attend His Son’s Funeral, Attorney Says

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has denied a Texas detainee’s request for release so he can attend his son’s funeral.

Maher Tarabishi was detained on Oct. 28, 2025, during a scheduled check-in at an ICE facility in Dallas, according to his family and attorney. He came to the United States from Jordan in 1994.

Before his detention, Tarabishi, 62, served as the primary caretaker for his son, Wael Tarabishi, 30, who died on Friday, Jan. 23, from complications related to Pompe disease — a rare genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness.

Tarabishi sought a humanitarian release to attend Wael’s funeral, according to his attorney, Ali Elhorr. The request was denied Tuesday, Jan. 27, Elhorr said. Tarabishi remains detained at the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas.

Wael was unable to breathe, eat, or move on his own. His daughter-in-law, Shahd Arnaout, 25, who lives in Arlington, said Wael required round-the-clock care, and that multiple family members have been tending to him since Tarabishi was taken into custody.

Weeks after Tarabishi was detained, Wael developed a high fever on Nov. 20, 2025, and was taken to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with sepsis and pneumonia in both lungs, Arnaout said. He spent about a week hospitalized, then was readmitted in December after his feeding tube came out. A little over a month later, he died.

The family believes the stress of Tarabishi’s detention contributed to Wael’s decline.

“They may not kill Wael with a bullet, but they killed him inside by taking the only person he asked for,” Arnaout said. “Maher was his caregiver, his father, his best friend, his everything.”

In a statement, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin accused Tarabishi of belonging to the Palestine Liberation Organization — the governing party of the West Bank — which is designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. Tarabishi’s family and attorney dispute the allegation, saying he has no ties to any terrorist organizations and has never committed any crimes.

Tarabishi entered the U.S. lawfully with a visa, his attorney said. In 2006, his asylum application was denied and a deportation order was issued, Elhorr said. However, because Wael — a U.S. citizen — was dependent on him, Tarabishi was later permitted to remain in the U.S. under a supervision order so he could care for his son, according to Elhorr.

“He had check-ins with ICE every year,” Elhorr said. “Never missed a single one. Was never late to one.”

At the check-in where he was detained last fall, Tarabishi was carrying a folder containing extensive documentation of Wael’s medical needs, according to Arnaout.

Wael’s funeral is scheduled for Thursday. The family has launched a GoFundMe to help cover Tarabishi’s legal defense.