They killed him inside': man who was son's caretaker detained by ICE and denied final goodbye

"But in late October, Maher was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after a routine visit to a field office in Dallas. It was the same visit the Jordan-born Maher had made for years, ever since he was allowed to remain in the US because he is his son's primary caretaker. Without that care, Wael's condition rapidly deteriorated."

"He was repeatedly hospitalized and underwent multiple surgeries, all while the family pleaded with the federal government to release Maher or grant him the ability to communicate with his son. Every request was ignored or denied. On 23 January, Wael died in the hospital and Maher has now been denied the chance to attend his son's funeral. ICE is responsible for the death of Wael Tarabishi, said Shahd Arnaout, Maher's daughter-in-law. They may not have killed him with a bullet, but they killed him inside."

"Maher came to the US in 1994 on a tourist visa and later sought asylum. His asylum claim was denied in 2006, but he was allowed to remain under supervised release. When he was arrested, he became part of the majority of ICE detainees who have no criminal record. The Tarabishis have been unable to contact Maher on their own; they have to wait until he calls from his detention center roughly three hours from their home."

Wael Tarabishi, 30, lived with progressive Pompe disease and relied entirely on his father Maher, who served as his case manager, equipment provider and caregiver. In late October, Maher was detained by ICE after a routine field-office visit despite longstanding supervised-release status tied to his caregiving role. Without Maher's daily care, Wael's health rapidly deteriorated, causing repeated hospitalizations and multiple surgeries. Family requests to release Maher or permit meaningful communication were ignored or denied. Wael died in hospital on January 23; Maher has been denied the chance to attend the funeral. Maher's asylum claim was denied in 2006; he remains detained roughly three hours from the family.

Read at www.theguardian.com