Joe Abraham marked the one-year anniversary of his daughter Katie’s January 19, 2025 death in a hit-and-run and criticized what he calls failures in sanctuary policies and state leadership. The driver, Julio Cucul-Bol, a Guatemalan national using a Mexican alias, was arrested near Dallas and later sentenced to 30 years after pleading guilty to multiple charges. A second passenger, Chloe Polzin, died the following day. Abraham urged practical immigration reforms and better cooperation between state and federal agencies to protect public safety.
“She Was Worth Five Seconds”: Father Says Daughter’s Death Highlights Cost Of Sanctuary Policies
Grieving father says daughter’s death by illegal alien shows cost of sanctuary policies
One year after his daughter Katie Abraham was killed in a hit-and-run in Urbana, Illinois, her father, Joe Abraham, publicly linked her death to what he calls failures in state and national immigration policy and urged Illinois leaders to acknowledge the loss.
Abraham, who appears in a video for The American Border Story — a project chronicling personal losses tied to the border crisis — used the anniversary to press for "orderly" immigration procedures and greater cooperation between state and federal authorities. He criticized state leaders for silence after Katie’s death and called for policies that better protect communities while supporting legal immigration.
DHS launched "Operation Midway Blitz" in honor of Katie Abraham, who was killed in a drunken-driving, hit-and-run car wreck caused by a criminal illegal alien in sanctuary Illinois.(Fox News)
"If you want to really be part of America and come in here, then you have got to do things the right way," Abraham told Fox News Digital. He added that there must be an "orderly process where people have to understand how to behave here."
Katie Abraham died in the early hours of January 19, 2025, after police say an intoxicated undocumented driver slammed into the car she was riding in and fled. A second passenger, 21-year-old Chloe Polzin of Deerfield, died the following day from injuries sustained in the crash.
Abraham described the crash as catastrophic: the vehicle was struck from behind at nearly 80 mph while stopped at a light near a hospital, and first responders had to pry open the Honda Civic to remove Katie’s body. He remembered his daughter as "productive, talented, beautiful," someone who loved sports and the water and had her whole life ahead of her.
Joe Abraham criticized Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's handling of illegal immigration.
The driver was identified as Julio Cucul-Bol, a Guatemalan national who authorities say used a Mexican alias. Police arrested him near Dallas while he was on a bus bound for Matamoros, Mexico; authorities said he was carrying false Mexican identification under the name Juan JaHaziel Saenz-Suarez.
Cucul-Bol pleaded guilty to charges including leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death, aggravated DUI resulting in death, and reckless homicide, and accepted a plea deal that resulted in a 30-year prison sentence. Federal prosecutors also charged him with possession of forged identity documents and related immigration and fraud offenses.
Operation Midway Blitz was launched in Katie Abraham's honor.
Abraham cited court records that allege additional details about the driver’s background and said those records reflect shortcomings in screening and enforcement when migrants enter the country. He described Cucul-Bol as illiterate and speaking a Mayan language, saying the case illustrated gaps that arise when local jurisdictions decline full cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
In response to the crash and other incidents, the Department of Homeland Security announced an enforcement operation, Operation Midway Blitz. Illinois and the city of Chicago subsequently sued the federal government over the operation, arguing that certain federal tactics violated Tenth Amendment protections and amounted to unlawful conduct.
Abraham alleges that neither his governor, senators – including Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., pictured – nor his state and local representatives contacted him following his daughter's death.
Abraham praised federal officials who reached out and contrasted their response with what he described as indifference from state leaders. He said former President Donald Trump met with his family and acknowledged their loss, while he received no outreach from Governor J.B. Pritzker or several federal lawmakers he expected to contact the family.
As he seeks policy changes, Abraham called for practical, commonsense measures that protect victims and preserve public safety while still supporting immigrants who follow legal processes. "If you’re going to nullify federal law, you better have a process to fill that void," he said, urging clearer coordination between state and federal authorities to prevent future tragedies.
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