They had built a fragile world together: a father who never missed an ICE check-in, and a son who could not move, eat, or breathe without help. For years, the government accepted this arrangement, acknowledging that deportation would be a death sentence for Wael. Then, in October 2025, the routine shattered. Maher was detained without warning, and the delicate balance that kept his son alive began to collapse.
As Wael’s body failed, the system that took his father refused to bend, even for a funeral. Maher remained behind barbed wire while his son was buried without him. The family is left with two losses: the son they loved and the trust they once placed in a country they believed could show mercy. This story does not ask whether laws exist; it asks what they are for, if not to serve human life.
