A Palestinian refugee was denied permission to attend his son's funeral despite being the sole caregiver for him.
Maher Tarabishi, a 45-year-old Palestinian refugee from Jordan, was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in October. He had been held at a detention center in Texas for three months, during which time his 30-year-old son Wael's health had deteriorated rapidly due to the rare metabolic disease Pompe.
In late December, Wael was hospitalized twice and underwent surgery eight days before he passed away on January 23rd. The family said that Tarabishi had been the primary caregiver for Wael and had kept him alive with around-the-clock care.
ICE officials told Elhorr, his lawyer, that they had received no request from anyone to attend Wael's funeral, despite preliminary discussion about a temporary release on compassionate grounds. On January 23rd, Tarabishi was in disbelief when he learned of Wael's death over the phone with his daughter-in-law.
Elhorr immediately filed a motion to reopen Tarabishi's case with the Board of Immigration Appeals, which had previously denied him asylum due to alleged ties to a terrorist organization that has since been deemed an exaggeration by the family.
Maher Tarabishi, a 45-year-old Palestinian refugee from Jordan, was arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in October. He had been held at a detention center in Texas for three months, during which time his 30-year-old son Wael's health had deteriorated rapidly due to the rare metabolic disease Pompe.
In late December, Wael was hospitalized twice and underwent surgery eight days before he passed away on January 23rd. The family said that Tarabishi had been the primary caregiver for Wael and had kept him alive with around-the-clock care.
ICE officials told Elhorr, his lawyer, that they had received no request from anyone to attend Wael's funeral, despite preliminary discussion about a temporary release on compassionate grounds. On January 23rd, Tarabishi was in disbelief when he learned of Wael's death over the phone with his daughter-in-law.
Elhorr immediately filed a motion to reopen Tarabishi's case with the Board of Immigration Appeals, which had previously denied him asylum due to alleged ties to a terrorist organization that has since been deemed an exaggeration by the family.
so sad for maher and his fam, they're already dealing with losing wael but having ice take away their chance to grieve too? and what's with the aslyum process tho? it sounds like there's more to the story than what we know. btw, you guys want to read more about this case? 
ICE is like "Sorry buddy, but you can't attend your own son's funeral" 
[giphy: a cat walking away from a grave]
how can ICE do this to someone who's sole caregiver for his child? its like theyre trying to punish him for being a good parent 
. I feel like we're living in a country where people are more worried about following rules than doing what's right.
. I mean, can you even imagine having to call your partner and tell them their loved one has passed away while they're still in detention? 
. And what's up with the whole "no request" thing? Does anyone know how often you get to attend a funeral in detention? 
ICE gotta do better than this... I mean, come on! The guy's kid just dies and he's too late? That's not compassion, that's neglect 
. Wael would be still alive if his dad was free to care for him 24/7... no one needs a paper or a stamp to show humanity 
. Maher deserves better than that from the system he's relying on for help...
This is just heartbreaking... I mean, can you even imagine being in Maher Tarabishi's shoes? His son Wael was literally counting on him to keep his health stable and now he's gone? 
The fact that ICE didn't allow him to attend his own son's funeral is just appalling. I'm not surprised the family is fighting back with a motion to reopen the case, though - this is some serious immigration injustice right here! 
it's just so heartbreaking. i mean, what kinda system is this where a person can just be held back from saying goodbye to their loved one because of some technicality? 
just heard about this guy Maher Tarabishi being detained in Texas while his son Wael was literally dying... can you even imagine? 
. I mean, come on, Maher Tarabishi was literally keeping his son alive with around-the-clock care, and what does he get in return? Being locked up for months while his kid is dying 
. The US immigration system needs a serious overhaul, imo 
let's be real here... this is just wrong