The list of victims of ICE has been increasing. People are losing their lives and their livelihoods due to these federal agents, and now another victim has been added to the list.
A 30-year-old disabled Dallas man in the U.S. has died because ICE took away his primary caregiver, his father. Wael Tarabishi was a disabled man who suffered from Pompe disease and who lived with his father and depended completely on him for his daily survival. However, his life turned upside down after his father, Maher Tarabishi, was arrested in October 2025.
Tarabishi came to the U.S. from Jordan in 1994 and regularly checked in with the immigration office. During one such regular check-in in October, when Tarabishi went to the immigration office in Dallas, he was detained and then sent to a detention centre.
Wael lived with significant disabilities that required him to have round-the-clock assistance. That system went completely off the rails when Maher was arrested. This arrest left Wael completely vulnerable, who not only needed his father for physical and medical support but also for psychological support.
Maher Tarabishi, age 62, was taken by ICE last October when he exited his immigration check-in appointment in Texas. He was the primary caregiver for his 30 year old son Wael, who suffers from a chronic muscular condition called Pompe disease. His father provided 24 hour care for… pic.twitter.com/19lyRX1JIy
— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) January 23, 2026
Wael Tarabishi died on January 24, 2026, alone at home in his final days. His family members have claimed that Wael’s “body could no longer handle the stress”. They suggested that the grief of losing his father, the stress of the situation, and his medical condition cost him his life. Though the actual cause of death has not been disclosed by his family, they have emphasized that losing his father has played a big role in it.
Maher Tarabishi, reportedly, followed all the rules and the guidelines of his migration requirements, checked in regularly, had his paperwork in order, and had no criminal record. His arrest was sudden, and then he was transferred to a detention center that was hundreds of miles away. This made it impossible for him to arrange alternative care.
Son of caregiver held in ICE detention over unfounded PLO allegations dies; father barred from funeral
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Wael Tarabishi, a 30 year old US citizen with severe Pompe disease, died on 23 January in a Texas intensive care unit after his father and full time caregiver, Maher… pic.twitter.com/jqpCNot0n0
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) January 27, 2026
It has been reported that Maher was not even released after his son’s death. Now the family has come forward with a heartbreaking plea to let Maher attend the funeral of their son. However, there have been no reports of ICE considering this request and letting a bereaved father see his son, one last time.
Wael Tarabishi’s funeral has been scheduled for January 29th, 2026, and there has been no positive response from ICE.
Disability rights advocates and civil rights activists have been pointing out the gross negligence of the federal agency, and giving this as an example of what happens when law enforcement agencies act without a sense of consequence.
ICE has been facing a lot of criticism over the last 10 months for its handling of immigrants and its untrained behaviour in the street. And now people are calling for clearer safeguards to prevent the detention of primary caregivers without emergency plans in place for those who depend on them.
