Maher Tarabishi, top, with his son Wael Tarabishi, bottom. Wael lives with Pompe disease, a condition that requires full-time care. Photo courtesy of the Tarabishi family.
On Oct. 28, Maher Tarabishi, 62, of Arlington, Texas was arrested upon arrival at his local ICE office, where he had gone for a routine check-in.
Now, the Department of Homeland Security is accusing Tarabishi of “terrorist” connections through the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), threatening deportation and permanent separation from his family – specifically, his 30-year-old son, who has late onset Pompe disease and is unable to feasibly travel long distances.
Tarabishi was born in Kuwait and originally came to the United States in the mid-90s with a Jordanian passport. He initially applied for asylum and was rejected, before receiving a deportation order and then eventually receiving a stay of removal in 2011, largely due to his son’s health condition. Tarabishi’s brother and parents are all U.S. citizens. His family denies all claims made by DHS.
Tarabishi’s family told BreakThrough News his original appointment date at the Dallas ICE office was cancelled due to the shooting there in late September. Agents told Tarabishi to come in at a time of his choosing in early October. He was arrested upon arrival at the Dallas ICE office for his next visit. His lawyer is currently seeking humanitarian release on the grounds that Tarabishi is the sole caregiver for his son, Wael, and the “only person” who can effectively anticipate Wael’s high standard of necessary care due to his illness. As Wael is a U.S. citizen, he is not under threat of deportation.
Wael has experienced health scares during his father’s absence, including an incident where his oxygen tank wasn’t functioning properly, leaving his face blue as he struggled to breathe.
Pompe disease, also known as limb–girdle muscular dystrophy, damages muscle and nerve cells and affects various body tissues. Wael’s right lung has collapsed and he has lost the ability to swallow due to issues with his esophagus. Along with this, Wael is bound to his bed as his muscles have deteriorated.
Before his detention, Tarabishi spent most of the day tending to and spending time with Wael.
“There’s a billion things going through my head. I haven’t been sleeping, eating, or resting. I’m always in pain, so much anxiety,” Wael told BreakThrough News.
“My father is my hero, my hope, my miracle, my motivation, my safe place, my sanity, my best friend, my only friend. We did everything together, watched sports, played video games, and joked around. He did everything medically for me, and would always reassure me. As long as he’s with me, nothing will happen to me. And as long I am with him, nothing else matters. Not a single person knows more about my condition than him. Even when we go to the hospital, the nurses, and medical teams tell him ‘Please show us and take the lead.’ Even sometimes doctors ask him, ‘What should we do?'”
Wael was diagnosed with Pompe disease at age four and was subsequently given 5-10 years to live by doctors, though despite this Wael is now 30 years old. Wael and his father are described by family as inseparable and “closer than soulmates.” Both Dallas Mavericks Fans, in a recent call – and one of few in good spirits – the two rejoiced in the firing of former general manager Nico Harrison. “They both love that guy, Luca,” Tarabishi’s wife explains.
Undated photograph of Maher and Wael Tarabishi. Photo courtsey of the Tarabishi family
“Sometimes we are sitting watching TV and he grabs the remote and puts it on mute. He says ‘Wael, he’s not breathing.’ I say, ‘Come on, he’s okay.’ And he says, ‘No, no no, listen. He isn’t breathing. He’s not feeling good,'” Leena, Tarabishi’s wife said. “Maher doesn’t leave the house because of his son. He doesn’t go to gatherings, any special occasion, any wedding, or any party, because he always stays with his son.”
In a note provided by the family and confirmed by Wael’s doctor, Dr. Sherif al-Farra, his condition requires constant care at the risk of steep decline.
“His care necessitates 24-hour medical supervision and immediate access to a caregiver capable of performing frequent airway suctioning, ventilator management, and close observation for any signs of respiratory distress or equipment malfunction. He is completely dependent on others for all aspects of daily care, including mobility, repositioning, hygiene, and physical assistance,” Dr. al-Farra said. “Without the availability of continuous and ongoing support, Wael’s condition would be expected to deteriorate rapidly. Interruptions in ventilator care, airway clearance, or nutrition delivery can result in acute respiratory failure, aspiration, infection, or other life-threatening complications.”
Following Tarabishi’s arrest, Wael’s mother, uncle, brother, cousin, and sister-in-law have had to step in to help provide care. However, Wael has experienced health scares during his father’s absence, including an incident where his oxygen tank wasn’t functioning properly, leaving his face blue as he struggled to breathe.
PLO has not been designated as a terrorist organization since 1987. In 1988, the U.S. waived the designation and established contact with the group.
“He is the only person, truly the only person who can take care of Wael. Like last time, the nurse came back and she didn’t know how to change his oxygen tube,” Shahd, Wael’s sister-in-law and one of his current caretakers says. “That’s happened twice, his oxygen dropping.”
Wael has also been struggling with a fever – as well as nightmares spurred by anxiety in the night.
In a statement to NBC-DFW, a DHS spokesperson said:
“Maher Mohd Tarabishi, 62, a criminal alien and self-admitted member of the Palestine Liberation Organization—a murderous foreign terrorist organization that has carried out countless terrorist attacks and plane hijackings—was arrested by ICE officers Oct. 28 in Dallas, Texas. Shockingly, Tarabishi has been permitted to remain in the U.S. illegally for nearly two decades despite being ordered removed from the U.S. by both an immigration judge and the Board of Immigration Appeals. The Obama administration unconscionably went as far as to proactively file a joint motion to dismiss the immigration case against Tarabishi on Aug. 10, 2011, although he had admitted to being a member of a foreign terrorist organization and was already ordered removed.”
DHS did not respond when asked to clarify on previous statements.
PLO has not been designated as a terrorist organization since 1987. In 1988, the U.S. waived the designation and established contact with the group.
DHS’s mention of a “joint motion to dismiss” aligns with the Obama-era initiative in August 2011 to administratively close low-priority immigration cases. Along with establishing discretionary prosecutorial guidelines, Obama’s DHS and DOJ met to review the cases of more than 290,000 immigration cases in deportation proceedings. Of those cases, around 8,400 were offered administrative closures and 4,400 accepted.
Undated photograph of Maher and Wael Tarabishi. Photo courtsey of the Tarabishi family
However, Matthew Hanley, Tarabishi’s lawyer, pointed out a number of errors in DHS’s account of his client’s case.
“You can tell that the person that’s writing this isn’t very good at their job and doesn’t really know what they’re talking about. Because when you have a deportation order and you’ve lost the BI appeal, there is no such thing as a joint motion to dismiss, because you can’t dismiss something that doesn’t exist… So that’s absolutely ridiculous language,” Hanley said to BreakThrough News. “Not only is ICE in this blurb just kind of being ridiculously erroneous with the use of the word ‘dismiss,’ but we were actually asking for a joint motion to reopen, and Paul Hunker [then Chief Counsel of DHS] denied that request.”
Tarabishi is currently being detained at Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas. Bluebonnet, according to families of recent detainees, has become increasingly crowded as rooms are now shared by over 30 occupants.
“No matter what I say about my struggles, it’s nothing compared to what my parents have been through,” Wael said.
Tarabishi is still awaiting a court date while remaining in detention.
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Sam Judy is an investigative journalist with a background in criminal justice and civil rights reporting. His previous work has been featured in Dallas Weekly, Texas Observer and Mondoweiss.
