{"id":149309,"date":"2026-02-03T17:24:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T17:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/149309\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T17:24:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T17:24:07","slug":"disabled-us-citizens-family-says-ice-stopped-his-father-from-attending-his-funeral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/149309\/","title":{"rendered":"Disabled US citizen’s family says ICE stopped his father from attending his funeral"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\"g_ice_020326887541\"The entrance to a U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) detention facility is seen following a shooting, on September 25, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. Brandon Bell\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

(ARLINGTON, Texas) \u2014 A family in Arlington, Texas, grieved as they laid 30-year-old Wael Tarabishi to rest. His father, Maher Tarabishi, however, was not at the funeral. Instead, he was at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center nearly three hours away in Anson, Texas.<\/p>\n

Wael faced a long battle with Advanced Pompe Disease, causing him to be severely disabled. Maher was by his side through it all, and has been described as his son\u2019s arms, legs and lungs because of how involved and essential he was in his life.<\/p>\n

Maher, a Jordanian native, overstayed a tourist visa here in the U.S. in 1994, his family and advocates said via\u00a0@freemahertrabishi<\/a>\u00a0on Instagram account. The U.S. government allowed Maher to remain in the country legally to care for Wael through a Supervision Order in 2008, according to the account.<\/p>\n

Maher presented himself at the Dallas field office to fulfill conditions of the Supervision Order last year for his annual check-in appointment, but found the building under temporary closure, the account noted. In an act of good will, the account said, Maher visited the office again once it re-opened.<\/p>\n

Despite maintaining lawful status and carrying valid documentation of Wael\u2019s condition, officers placed Maher in handcuffs and was told to \u201cshut up and sit down\u201d as he pleaded with them, according to the account.<\/p>\n

After Maher was detained by ICE in October 2025, his family and advocates rallied to reunite the father and son. They said Wael, a U.S. citizen, would die without Maher\u2019s care. Three months later, he did.<\/p>\n

After Wael\u2019s death on Jan. 23, heartbroken family and supporters desperately tried to get ICE to allow Maher to attend his son\u2019s funeral on Thursday. Late Tuesday night, ICE gave final word that Maher would be denied permission.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmerica speaks of freedom and family values yet it stole Maher from his dying son,\u201d Shahd Arnaout, Maher\u2019s daughter-in-law,\u00a0posted on her Instagram today<\/a>. \u201cA funeral without Maher!!!!! This is a human rights crime.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement to ABC News, ICE accused Maher of being part of an organization the U.S. deems a terrorist group.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMaher Mohd Tarabishi, 62, a criminal alien and self-admitted member of the Palestine Liberation Organization \u2014 a murderous foreign terrorist organization that has carried out countless terrorist attacks and plane hijackings, was arrested by ICE officers Oct. 28 in Dallas, Texas. Shockingly, Tarabishi has been permitted to remain in the U.S. illegally for nearly two decades despite being ordered removed from the U.S. by both an immigration judge and the Board of Immigration Appeals,\u201d the agency said.<\/p>\n

According to ICE, the Obama administration proactively filed a joint motion to dismiss the immigration case against Tarabishi in 2011, \u201cdespite the fact that he had admitted to being a member of a foreign terrorist organization\u201d\u00a0\u00a0and had been ordered removed. The agency said its arrest of Tarabishi \u201cshows clear evidence of the game-changing impact the Trump administration\u2019s immigration enforcement efforts are having.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shahd, a consistent voice for her family, vehemently\u00a0denied these claims<\/a>\u00a0in an interview with ABC News\u2019 Rhiannon Ally last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe denied that he\u2019s part of PLO or any other part of organization. And we did, his lawyer did,\u201d she said. \u201cHe went to the Dallas Field Immigration Center and he spoke to an ICE agent and they respond with the no. He requested to go and at least to say goodbye and to the funeral and both answer was no. So why are they doing that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ali Elhorr, attorney for Maher Tarbishi at Aspire Immigration Law, PLLC, said in a press release that he was profoundly disappointed in the decision and shared details of the process.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were in communication with multiple ICE officers who had shown the willingness to facilitate Maher\u2019s supervised release to attend Wael\u2019s burial \u2026 Initial steps in the process had already begun when I received a call from the ICE officer with whom I had been in contact,\u201d he said. \u201cThe officer informed me that his director stepped in and told him that Maher would not be allowed to attend Wael\u2019s burial. This was the final decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heartbroken, Shahd explained that Wael\u2019s final wishes were to be with his father.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were trying so hard to let him out, to let Maher out, at least to say goodbye to Wael before he died. Because that\u2019s what Wael\u2019s wish was, \u2018To say good-bye to my dad. At least let me see him one more time. At least, let me just maybe touch his hand before I die \u2026 \u2018 \u201d he said. \u201cWael is a U.S. citizen And he asked for his dad, it was very simple ask for him. He trusted his country and he trusted the system. But they failed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shahd described Wael as \u201can angel\u201d and \u201can amazing person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith everything Wael went through and all the hardship that he had, he always cared about his family. He always made us laugh,\u201d she said. \u201cHim and his father, it wasn\u2019t just a normal relationship between any father and a son. No, he was his best friend. He was his caregiver. He was dad. He was everything for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said that she and many supporters believe ICE is directly responsible for Wael\u2019s tragic death.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cICE is responsible of the death of Wael Tarabishi. They may not kill him with a bullet, but they killed him inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her Instagram post last week, Shahd promised not to forget Wael.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe and the girls will miss you every single day. You will always live in our hearts. I will keep speaking your name, I will keep sharing your story, and I will keep every promise I made. I won\u2019t stop until your dad is out and our family gets the justice and peace you deserved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

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