A disabled man has died because ICE have been detaining his carer father since October. Maher Tarabishi was arrested by the immigration militia in October 2025 whilst having a routine check in his home state of Texas. He was the sole carer of his 30-year-old son Wael, who had Pompe disease.
Disabled man’s health deteriorated after carer arrested
Originally from Jordan, Maher has been in the US since 1994. He has raised a family, worked, and pays taxes. Maher was seeking asylum in Texas and had been permitted to remain in the country. But ICE arrested him anyway, whilst he was literally following the rules and attending an immigration appointment
As a result of his father’s imprisonment, Wael’s health deteriorated. He was admitted to hospital in December 2025. His feeding tube had become displaced, which caused his stomach to leak. He was in excruciating pain.
Government claims carer is a threat to national security
Their family and Wael’s doctors made a direct plea to Donald Trump at a press conference in December to release Maher.
Dr. Bilal Piracha, a medical advocate for the family said:
I’m not here to talk about immigration policy. I’m not talking about politics. We are talking about mercy. We are talking about humanity
However, the government is trying to claim that Maher is a member of Palestine Liberation Organization. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs with the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement to The Dallas Morning News:
ICE’s successful arrest of Tarabishi shows clear evidence of the game-changing impact the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts are having to restore common sense to our immigration system, strengthen national security and public safety in our country
The Tarabishi family say this is not true. They described him as someone who always follows rules and has never even got a speeding ticket. It’s pretty clear that Homeland Security had to scramble to justify this arrest.
On Instagram in December, Wael said of his father:
He was the person who would help me want to live for tomorrow, and now I don’t have anything to live for in this life. I don’t know what’s gonna happen to me now.
Wael contracted pneumonia and sepsis in the hospital. He died on 23 January 2026.
Let Taher say goodbye to his son that ICE killed
The family are now demanding that Maher be released so that he can attend his son’s funeral.
It would be beyond inhumane and grotesque for ICE to prevent Maher from attending his son’s funeral after the unspeakable pain and hardship his abduction has brought upon his family
If you’re in the US, you can help the Tarabishi family to get Maher released. This involves calling the detention centre, your representatives and Homeland Security.
What ICE are doing in the US is beyond reprehensible. His father should have been able to be with his son: those ICE officers have Wael’s death on their hands.
Featured image via the Canary
This post was originally published on Canary.