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ICE Prevented Disabled US Citizen’s Father From Attending His Funeral – Twitchy

February 4, 2026

Amy Curtis, Townhall columnist, nurse, and former Twitchy freelancer, used to write often about how her family wasn’t able to have a funeral for her father because of the COVID-19 lockdowns. A lot of people missed funerals or the last moments with their loved ones because of the lockdowns. We thought of Curtis when we saw this sob story from ABC News about how ICE prevented a disabled U.S. citizen’s father from attending his funeral. The father was in ICE custody, so, much like anyone in prison, he missed out.

A Texas family grieved as they laid 30-year-old Wael Tarabishi to rest. His father, Maher Tarabishi, however, was not at the funeral. Instead, he was at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center nearly three hours away in Anson, Texas.https://t.co/tu40mVCsNI pic.twitter.com/ewaUM6Cb4Y

— ABC News (@ABC) February 4, 2026

Marwa Mouaki reports for ABC News:

Maher [Tarabishi], a Jordanian native, overstayed a tourist visa here in the U.S. in 1994, his family and advocates said via @freemahertrabishi on Instagram account. The U.S. government allowed Maher to remain in the country legally to care for Wael through a Supervision Order in 2008, according to the account.

…

After Maher was detained by ICE in October 2025, his family and advocates rallied to reunite the father and son. They said Wael, a U.S. citizen, would die without Maher’s care. Three months later, he did.

After Wael’s death on Jan. 23, heartbroken family and supporters desperately tried to get ICE to allow Maher to attend his son’s funeral on Thursday. Late Tuesday night, ICE gave final word that Maher would be denied permission.

Mouaki’s source for much of her story is the family’s Instagram account.

But wait, there’s more:

In a statement to ABC News, ICE accused Maher of being part of an organization the U.S. deems a terrorist group.

“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 agency said.