My daughter was killed by an illegal immigrant

OPINION:

On Jan. 19, my youngest daughter, 20-year-old Katie (Katherine) Abraham, was killed in what can be described only as a harrowing hit-and-run incident in Urbana, Illinois, while visiting friends at the University of Illinois. Katie was in a Honda Civic with four friends, stopped at a red light, when the vehicle she was riding in was rear-ended by an SUV moving at 78 miles per hour. The driver of the SUV, who had reportedly been drinking heavily, did not swerve or brake. He just slammed into the Honda.

Katie died at the scene, and one of the other young women died the next day at a hospital.

The driver was later identified as Julio Cucul-Bol, a Guatemalan national living in the U.S. illegally. Mr. Cucul-Bol, who was using the Mexican national alias Juan Jahaziel Saenz-Suarez, fled the scene. He didn’t call 911 or wait to help the first responders understand what happened. He didn’t try to render any aid to the five women he injured. He showed his true character and ran.

Katie’s death wasn’t just a crime; it was also a failure of our system here in Illinois, where an unvetted individual can roam our streets and flee justice. U.S. marshals captured Mr. Cucul-Bol in south Texas on a bus bound for Mexico, confirming his undocumented status and his criminality. Illinois’ sanctuary policies — and by extension, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and supportive state politicians — had let this man into the community. My daughter and her friend were killed by an illegal alien who should have never been here to begin with. This tragedy was senseless and completely preventable. It’s as if Katie’s fate was sealed not just by an irresponsible driver but also by a system that failed to screen and protect.

The lack of strong public outrage or legislative urgency deepens the wound. Katie was a productive, law-abiding citizen, so she didn’t fit into a “protected class.” If she had, our politicians would surely wage wars in her name. When it’s a promise unrealized, a life lost, the silence is deafening.

The unspoken bargain we uphold is simple: Live productively, raise a family, stay law-abiding and contribute to society, and, in return, you get safety. You expect your tax dollars to fund policies that reflect that calculus. My family did that exact trade, yet the state indirectly contributed to Katie’s death. We worked, we paid taxes, we nurtured a family, and Katie did right by her school and community. Instead of being a shield, the state became a sieve. Yet we continue to import illegal aliens who haven’t been properly screened.

Politicians argue that not having a robust audit process makes our communities safer, but this policy defies logic. During a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing in June, Mr. Pritzker conflated citizens, legal immigrants and illegal immigrants, calling them “all residents.” At one point, he went so far as to say that immigrants are better than citizens.

In the U.S., anyone who commits a crime will face due process, something Katie never received. Julio Cucul-Bol was her judge, jury and executioner. Because there is no “front-end” process to audit any migrants entering our state, we can rely only on the back-end ones, after the carnage and damage are done and many lives have been broken. Katie wasn’t just a statistic; she was also collateral damage to one-party state ideals that favor optics over outcomes.

Consider just some of the contradictions from Illinois politicians. They champion higher minimum wages yet allow unaudited illegal labor that undercuts citizens and legal migrants. They decry corporate gouging yet impose some of the highest taxes in the country, making them some of the biggest gougers. In short, the state is part ATM to illegal aliens, part employer and part silent accomplice.

As a child of immigrants (my parents immigrated legally from the Middle East in the 1960s), my family and I are pro-legal immigration. Strong vetting to understand migrants’ backgrounds and reasons for wanting to be in this country should be a priority.

Why have we lost confidence in the Western values that made this country so great that tens of millions will do whatever it takes to enter? There is no shame in auditing folks coming into this country. I would expect to be vetted if I were to enter a different county and would worry if I weren’t. I would hope I would have enough respect for that country to try to learn the language and culture and behave properly. For example, I would not drive under the influence and hit others and then try to run.

At that same June hearing, Mr. Pritzker warned that people would die if the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed. Yet allowing unvetted illegal entrants to remain has already cost lives, Katie’s being just one. The governor’s hyperbolic rhetoric rings hollow.

Katie’s death was preventable. It stands as a grim reminder that sanctuary-style policies without boundaries neglect the social contract. When productive citizens pay taxes and contribute to their communities, they deserve protection. When state policies become ideological shields, lives are sacrificed. Katie’s story must not become another quiet tragedy. Her life demands a reckoning.

• Joe Abraham is an Angel Dad whose 20-year-old daughter, Katie, was tragically killed in Illinois by an illegal immigrant protected by sanctuary state policies. He now speaks out nationally as a surrogate for The American Border Story, calling for stronger border security and immigration reform so no other family has to endure the loss he has suffered.