'Cruel': ICE blocks funeral access to father who was caregiver to severely ill son

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) refusal to grant temporary humanitarian release for a detainee to attend his son’s funeral this week has caused widespread backlash online, with some terming the decision "inhuman and depraved".

Maher Tarabishi, a 62-year-old Arlington, Texas, resident originally from Jordan, has been held at the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas, since his arrest by ICE agents on 28 October. His son, Wael, 30, died on 23 January from complications related to Pompe disease, a rare genetic disorder.

Wael was a US citizen, and his father had served as his primary caregiver for decades.

ICE officials rejected Maher’s request to attend Wael’s funeral, scheduled for Thursday, which triggered widespread backlash online. 

Wael Tarabishi, the last person I wrote about for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, died on Friday. Wael’s health collapsed after his father and caretaker, Maher, was detained by ICE.

Wael’s family believes that if ICE didn’t arrest Maher, Wael would still be alive. I do too. pic.twitter.com/2LHdY1d1V6

— Bradford William Davis (@BWDBWDBWD) January 25, 2026

Ali Elhorr, a lawyer representing Maher, confirmed to People magazine that ICE denied the request on Tuesday. The agency has not publicly explained why alternatives such as escorted attendance or a short-term release were not approved. 

“He had check-ins with ICE every year. Never missed a single one. Was never late to one,” Elhorr told People. Middle East Eye independently reached out to Elhorr for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

There was a weeks-long campaign online demanding Maher’s release because of his son’s complicated illness, and when the news hit that Wael had passed away, many campaigners and supporters of the family were left heartbroken and enraged.

This is just absolute fucking cruelty. This man lived here without incident for 30 fucking years. He was attending his immigration check-ins. He attended an immigration check-in when ICE apprehended him. His son died without his father to care for him. His father was denied… https://t.co/VDjcMvD0VB

— FrankInGeneral 🔴⛈️ (@frankingeneral) January 29, 2026

Maher entered the US in 1994 on a tourist visa and later applied for political asylum after it expired. For years, he has complied with annual ICE check-ins, his attorney said.

However, under the administration of US President Donald Trump, ICE accused Maher of being affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). While the PLO is the internationally recognised representative of the Palestinian people and has received waivers from the US, it was designated by the US government as a terrorist organisation in 1987.

Maher, his family, and his legal team have denied any affiliation with the group.

Primary caregiver removed

Wael was diagnosed with Pompe disease when he was four. It is a condition that progressively weakens muscles and can lead to life-threatening complications. According to the family, Maher was deeply involved in every aspect of his son’s care.

On 20 November, Wael was hospitalised with sepsis and pneumonia, according to Shahd Arnaout, Maher's daughter-in-law. Wael was hospitalised multiple times in the weeks that followed and died last Friday.

Arnaout also told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the family holds ICE responsible for Wael’s death, arguing that his health deteriorated after his father was taken into custody.

“I blame ICE,” Arnaout said. “Maybe they did not kill Wael with a bullet, but they killed him when they took his father away.”

This was a sentiment that was shared by thousands on social media, who said that the inhumane treatment of ICE agents killed Wael and ripped a family apart. 

Maher Tarabishi spent years caring for his disabled son Wael.

They were best friends.

Maher was the reason Wael survived as long as he died.

ICE took him away, and Wael died shortly after.

Now they won’t even let the father attend his son’s funeral.

They killed Wael. https://t.co/kRq08OvJGY

— Kelly (@broadwaybabyto) January 28, 2026

In a statement on the “Free Maher Tarabishi” campaign’s Instagram page, Arnaout also said, “ICE knew Maher was Wael’s primary caretaker. ICE knew Wael was alive because of Maher, that is why he was allowed to stay in the country for decades, and then they just kidnapped him.”

“Wael couldn’t understand why they took Maher away, why they kidnapped him. He couldn’t handle that his father - the person who made him feel safe, the person who knew everything about him was no longer there. The person who dedicated his entire life to taking care of him was no longer there without any notice,” Arnaout said.

One social media user called the ICE agency “ICEstapo” and said what it was doing was “beyond evil", comparing the agency’s actions to those of the Gestapo, Nazi Germany’s secret police, a reference critics often invoke when accusing ICE of authoritarian and dehumanising practices.

I try not to be shocked when the ICEstapo do some abhorrent shit, but even for them, this is far beyond evil. An organisation this inhuman and depraved, cannot be allowed to exist. It needs to be destroyed and those who serve it, must face severe consequences for their actions. https://t.co/einQf9LLxF

— Toku Power Taisen! (@TokuPowerTaisen) January 29, 2026

ICE has faced growing scrutiny and criticism over its use of power, particularly amid a series of high-profile incidents in which federal immigration agents have fatally shot US citizens during enforcement operations.

In January alone, a 37-year-old registered nurse, Alex Pretti, was killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis during protests against ICE’s deployment, as well as Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three who was shot dead by ICE earlier in the month, sparking widespread protests and political rebukes of the agency’s tactics.