Disabled man, 30, dies alone after his solo caregiver dad is detained by ICE

Wael Tarabishi, a 30-year-old man with a rare condition, has sadly passed away mere weeks after 'his beloved father, primary caregiver and constant life companion' Maher Tarabishi was taken into ICE custody

By Julia Banim

A man with serious disabilities has sadly passed away after his father, who had been his primary caregiver, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement back in October. Now his family has issued one last heartbreaking plea.

Wael Tarabishi, 30, died on Friday, January 23, from complications related to Pompe disease, a rare genetic condition which causes progressive muscle weakness. If left untreated, sufferers will usually die of respiratory complications. His father, Maher Tarabishi, had dedicated himself to caring for his son. Then, on October 28, 2025, everything changed.

During a scheduled annual check-in at the Dallas ICE Field office, Maher, who arrived in the U.S. from Jordan in 1994, was detained and taken into custody at the Blubonnet Detention Facility in Anson, some 200 miles west of Dallas, Texas.

A matter of weeks later, Wael's health declined drastically, which his family have attributed to the extreme stress of the situation. A GoFundMe page set up for the Tarabishi family reads: "Wael's body could no longer handle the stress. We have said before that Maher's daily presence in Wael's life was not optional; rather, it was essential to his survival and well-being."

On November 20, 2025, Wael, who required around-the-clock care, was taken to the hospital with a high fever, where medics diagnosed him with sepsis and pneumonia in both lungs.

Wael returned home one week later but was readmitted in December when his feeding tube came out, and following a second surgery, he became unconscious. Writing on social media, the Tarabishis said: "He passed without his beloved father, primary caregiver and constant life companion, Maher, by his side."

Maher's attorney, Ali Elhorr, told People magazine that the father had entered the US lawfully with a visa, but in 2006, his asylum application was denied and a deportation order was issued.

That same year, after Wael was officially diagnosed, Maher became his primary caretaker and was therefore permitted to remain in the States to look after him.