An Arlington man who has been in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody since last fall is accepting removal to his home country of Jordan.
The family of Maher Tarabishi announced Thursday he will voluntarily leave the U.S. “in order to secure his freedom” following the death of his 30-year-old son, Wael Tarabishi, who died last month in the ICU at the Mansfield Medical Center while his father was detained at the Bluebonnet Detention Facility in Anson, 200 miles west of Dallas.
“Wael was Maher’s reason to keep fighting,” the family said in a statement posted to Instagram, “to comply with every requirement of his immigration case and to endure inhumane cruel detention conditions.”
Maher Tarabishi was detained in late October after his annual check-in at the Dallas ICE Field office. He came to the U.S. from Jordan in 1994. ICE alleged he was a “self-admitted member of the Palestine Liberation Organization,” something his family denies.
For months, the family and advocates asked for his humanitarian release so he could care for his son, who had Pompe Disease, a rare genetic condition. They also asked for his release to attend his son’s funeral, which was denied.
“ICE is responsible for every single thing that's happening to my family right now," Tarabishi’s daughter-in-law Shahd Arnaout told KERA last month.
The family said in the statement ICE’s detention of Maher “stripped Wael of his primary caretaker and ultimately led to his death.”
They have started fundraising efforts for Tarabishi’s return to Jordan to secure housing and pay for basic needs.
It’s unclear if Tarabishi’s family will return with him.
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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