A devoted father was left to mourn his terminally ill son without being by his side, after being detained for three months in an immigration center. Maher Tarabishi had been holding it together for his son Wael during the boy's battle with Pompe disease, a rare condition that leaves patients unable to eat or drink on their own.
Tarabishi was arrested by ICE agents at his check-in appointment in October and was being held at the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Texas. His family had been advocating for his release so he could continue caring for Wael, but ultimately Tarabishi's fate would be decided after Wael's death on January 23rd.
The day of Wael's passing, Maher received devastating news that his son was gone. Breaking down on the phone with his daughter-in-law Shahd Arnaout, he repeatedly expressed his shock and grief at losing Wael without being able to care for him himself.
With Wael's impending funeral now imminent, ICE officials initially seemed willing to accommodate Tarabishi's request for release, as they had done previously when allowing other detainees to attend their loved ones' funerals. However, in a last-minute decision made by ICE management, the detention center informed Tarabishi that he was not allowed to attend his own son's burial.
According to an automated transcript of a voicemail obtained by The Intercept, an ICE supervisor told Tarabishi's attorney Ali Elhorr that Maher would have to stay at the detention center for the funeral. The official claimed they had received no formal request from anyone to attend the service, and also disputed Tarabishi's claims of being Wael's primary caregiver.
The case highlights the complex and often contradictory policies of ICE, which sometimes appear to prioritize national security concerns over humanitarian ones. It has sparked an outpouring of support for Maher Tarabishi from family members, advocates, and journalists who are calling on ICE to revise its stance on this matter.
In a poignant message recorded just days before his death, Wael had expressed his desire not to die until he could see his father again. The heartbreaking story serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences that can befall families torn apart by immigration policies, and has ignited a new wave of outrage against ICE's handling of Maher Tarabishi's case.
Tarabishi was arrested by ICE agents at his check-in appointment in October and was being held at the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Texas. His family had been advocating for his release so he could continue caring for Wael, but ultimately Tarabishi's fate would be decided after Wael's death on January 23rd.
The day of Wael's passing, Maher received devastating news that his son was gone. Breaking down on the phone with his daughter-in-law Shahd Arnaout, he repeatedly expressed his shock and grief at losing Wael without being able to care for him himself.
With Wael's impending funeral now imminent, ICE officials initially seemed willing to accommodate Tarabishi's request for release, as they had done previously when allowing other detainees to attend their loved ones' funerals. However, in a last-minute decision made by ICE management, the detention center informed Tarabishi that he was not allowed to attend his own son's burial.
According to an automated transcript of a voicemail obtained by The Intercept, an ICE supervisor told Tarabishi's attorney Ali Elhorr that Maher would have to stay at the detention center for the funeral. The official claimed they had received no formal request from anyone to attend the service, and also disputed Tarabishi's claims of being Wael's primary caregiver.
The case highlights the complex and often contradictory policies of ICE, which sometimes appear to prioritize national security concerns over humanitarian ones. It has sparked an outpouring of support for Maher Tarabishi from family members, advocates, and journalists who are calling on ICE to revise its stance on this matter.
In a poignant message recorded just days before his death, Wael had expressed his desire not to die until he could see his father again. The heartbreaking story serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences that can befall families torn apart by immigration policies, and has ignited a new wave of outrage against ICE's handling of Maher Tarabishi's case.
it's just so unfair maher tarabishi was already grieving over his son wael's passing and then finds out he can't even be there for the funeral? 
what kind of system detains someone for three months only to deny them a chance to say goodbye to their own child? 
does ice really think they're doing more harm than good by keeping people like maher locked up? 
and meanwhile, wael's words still ring true "see my father again"... it's heartbreaking how his wishes were ignored 
. Three months without seeing his son Maher was already a huge blow but then to find out he wasn't allowed to be there for the funeral is just heartbreaking 
. It's clear that Maher was Wael's primary caregiver, I'm not buying the official story about them disputing it 
. ICE needs to seriously rethink their policies on this one 
.
this is so wrong 
ICE should totally revise their policies on this one 
u guys, this is just so heartbroken... Maher Tarabishi was literally dying to hold his son's hand at the funeral, but ICE had other plans 
. ICE needs to get their act together and start putting people over policies 
. This is just another example of how broken our immigration system is 
. We need to raise awareness and make some noise about this... no one deserves to go through what Maher Tarabishi and his family are going through 
.
it's just heartbreaking to think about. and the fact that ICE is basically saying no to releasing Maher because they don't want to risk being seen as sympathetic, it's just ridiculous 
maher tarabishi deserves so much better than this 
This is just heartbreaking 
can u even imagine bein in maher's shoes?? 
it's like,ICE needs 2 take responsibility 4 their mistakes & let maher come home 2 be w/ his family during this hard time 
