4 February 5 - 11, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents ICE officials have claimed that Maher was arrested because of his association with the Palestine Liberation Organization, the political group that represents Palestinians internationally and is recognized in most countries as a national representative for the Palestinian people. The U.S. briefly named the group as a terrorist organization in the 1980s, although it does not today. The Tarabishi family has denied that characterization of their father, pointing in- stead to the decades of care he gave to his son. As soon as Maher was arrested, the rest of the family stepped up as best as they could to care for Wael. But Maher was the one who knew best how to clean Wael’s tra- cheostomy tube he needed to breathe, grind down his medicine, bathe him and advocate for him with doctors. Each time Maher called from Bluebonnet in the early days of his detainment, they’d answer the phone with a list of questions about his efforts to keep Wael healthy. Still, Maher’s absence took its toll. While in the hospital, Aranout said Wael began taking medications for depression and anxi- ety — issues he’d never experienced before — because the separation from his father was so distressing. With Wael’s death, the family is grieving two losses, she said. EMMA RUBY Ride for Alex Pretti A week after, and 900 miles away from where Alex Pretti was killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Min- nesota, nearly 200 bike riders gathered in solidarity. Harwood Park in downtown Dal- las was the site of one of hundreds of memo- rial bike rides taking place at the same hour across the globe to honor Pretti, an avid mountain biker and beloved member of the Minneapolis biking community. As the temperature hovered around 30 degrees Saturday for the 1:30 p.m. start, the sky was sunny, yet the communal vibes among the attendees were somehow brighter. Although the 10.5-mile trip through downtown, Fair Park, Swiss Ave- nue, East Dallas and Deep Ellum was a peaceful, positive affair, protest was under- standably in the air. Groups of riders cheered when they passed a Junius Heights home with an “Abolish ICE” flag hanging out front. One rider waved a “Fuck ICE” flag as he passed some intersections, and at least one partici- pant sported a homemade cape with the same message. Hangover Riders DTX, a lo- cal bicycle group that gets together regularly to ride around town, organized the event. For this group, peddling in solidarity for this cause was obvious. “Having a diverse community is what we take pride in as a cycling club,” a Hangover Riders DTX rep said prior to the event. “This is why we felt compelled to do this memorial. Alex Pretti stood up for what is morally right, and we are honoring his sacri- fice. We have so many minorities in our club that not doing so would be shameful. We’re here to support our community and the bik- ing community.” The memorial ride followed a protest at Dallas’ City Hall Plaza two days earlier as immigrant advocates, union and political leaders led hundreds in raucous chants against ICE, all to the beat of drums. One protester carried a sign reader “Em- pathy destroys facism” — either optimism or wishful thinking on her part. One of the chants summed up the feeling of the crowd best: “Chinga la migra.” ) Fuck ICE. KELLY DEARMORE Church vs. State F aith leaders from across the Dallas area gathered at the Kessler Park United Methodist Church on Jan. 23 to condemn federal immigration enforce- ment actions across the United States and plans for a new ICE detention facility in Hutchins, a town that is around 12 miles south of downtown Dallas. The gathering was organized by the Clergy League for Emergency Action and Response (CLEAR), which has supported immigrant communities in Dallas since last spring and holds prayer vigils outside the Dallas ICE field office on Monday mornings. The Rev. Eric Folkerth, lead pastor at Kes- sler Park UMC, said that what he has wit- nessed over the last year has convinced him that opposing ICE’s actions is a moral im- perative. “Over the months, we have seen a dis- turbingly harsh treatment of migrants,” said Folkerth. “I know we are all horrifically dis- turbed by what is happening in Minneapo- lis. We decry violence of any form. We believe in the rule of law as faith leaders.” The gathering coincided with a multi- faith service held in Minneapolis to show support for immigrant communities and protest ICE. The Twin Cities have become a hotbed for immigration enforcement activ- ity over the last month, with accusations of fraud amongst the Somali immigrant com- munity, the killing of Renee Good and wide- spread arrests inflaming tensions between community members and federal agents. Hundreds of people attended the Minne- sota service, CBS News reported, and lead- ers of synagogues, mosques and churches of all denominations traveled from across the U.S. to attend. Albeit a smaller gathering, Dallas’ assembly amplified similar messages of unity. The leaders also offered a solemn warn- ing. In December, a Washington Post investi- gation outlined plans for an industrial ware- house in Hutchins to be turned into the nation’s second-largest immigration deten- tion facility. The proposed Hutchins ware- house is one of seven large-scale centers outlined in documents obtained by the Post. According to the Washington Post’s re- porting, government documents state the new, larger warehouse centers will help “speed up deportations by establishing a de- liberate feeder system” through proximity to “major logistical hubs.” Hutchins officials have spoken out against the facility, in part because it’s some- thing that the town’s infrastructure can’t support, said Carl Oscar Sherman, Minister of the Church of Christ in Hutchins and a former state representative and mayor of DeSoto. “If we sit back and do nothing, if we think that it can’t happen where we live, if you just can’t imagine that it would ever happen in your own hometown, that could be the next city, the next community that faces it,” Oscar Sherman said. “Immigrants continue to be detained, even while following the estab- lished norms and adhering to the rules. Jus- tice demands that we speak up, justice demands that we honor God’s word and jus- tice demands that we respect local control.” The faith leaders expressed concern about the prospective conditions in a deten- tion center the size of the one being dis- cussed in Hutchins; the closest current facility to Dallas is the Prairieland Detention Center near Alvarado, which holds a mere 700 people, less than a tenth of what the proposed Hutchins facility would. While the Department of Homeland Se- curity has resisted sharing much informa- tion publicly about the warehouse center plans, the Dallas leaders speculated that a nearly 10,000-person facility would quickly devolve into unsanitary conditions that are “inhumane and it is not in accor- dance with American values,” much less “spiritual values.” “Our understanding is that there are county officials who are very concerned about this. There are people in the city of Hutchins who are very concerned about this,” said Folkerth. “Please give them sup- port and courage at this moment. There are hopefully some legal things they can do to help slow down this human warehouse.” EMMA RUBY Crockett Outraged C ongresswoman Jasmine Crockett was one of several Texas representa- tives who visited an immigrant de- tention center last week afternoon after reports emerged that a 5-year-old boy de- tained by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis had been transferred to the southwest Texas facility. Liam Ramos was taken into ICE custody alongside his father on Jan. 20 and trans- ferred to the Dilley Detention Center 70 miles southwest of San Antonio. Ramos’ ar- rest caught national attention after it was caught on camera, putting his small stature, blue winter hat and Spider-Man backpack on display. The Dilley facility is one of several in the country designed to house detainees with underage children. At least 100 immigrants living in Minneapolis with legal, refugee sta- tus have been arrested over the last two weeks, with many being sent to detention centers in Dilley and El Paso, advocates have told the Observer. “Imagine being a free-willed, loving kiddo, and all of a sudden one day you’re thrown on a plane, you’re sent 1,500 miles away from home, and you don’t understand what’s going on,” Crockett said during a press conference after the visit. “You don’t have your mom, who is currently 4 months pregnant with your sibling, and you’ve got- ten depressed to the extent you’ve stopped eating. This is the story of Liam.” “But Liam was not the only one,” she added. Crockett expressed outrage over condi- tions that she believes are worse than those allowed at prisons. She said many detainees Kelly Dearmore Two hundred riders honored Alex Pretti. Unfair Park from p3 Nathan Hunsinger Congresswoman Crockett was outraged by the immigrant detention facilities.
