‘Wael’s last wish’: Man detained by ICE denied release for son’s funeral

Al JazeeraCenterEN 5 min read 100% complete January 29, 2026 at 11:53 AM

AI Summary

long article 5 min

Maher Tarabishi, a Jordanian national detained by ICE in the US, was denied release to see his ailing son, Wael, before he died on Friday and to attend his funeral on Thursday in Arlington, Texas. Maher had been living in the US under a supervision order, caring for Wael, who suffered from Pompe disease and required constant care. Despite annual check-ins with ICE for over two decades, Maher was detained during his October 28, 2025 check-in as part of President Trump's immigration policies. The family's petitions for his release were unsuccessful, preventing him from fulfilling Wael's last wish to see and hold his father's hand.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Arlington, Texas 30% Jordan 40% Shahd Arnaout ×250% United States 50% Donald Trump ×260% Immigration and Customs Enforcement ×370% Wael Tarabishi ×780% Maher Tarabishi ×1090%

Keywords

ice detention 90% immigration detention 80% denied release 70% funeral 60% immigration and customs enforcement 60% immigration crackdown 50% pompe disease 50% supervision order 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.80

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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ice detention immigration detention denied release funeral immigration and customs enforcement immigration crackdown pompe disease supervision order

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