Joe Abraham, whose daughter, Katie, was killed by an illegal alien in Illinois, is solidly backing ICE’s “Operation Midway Blitz” enforcement operation, shortly after the victim’s mother, Denise Lorence, publicly denounced the Chicago-based sweep of illegal migrants launched in honor of their daughter.
“Contrary to some of the criticism about it, this mission is not political,” Joe Abraham wrote. “It is moral. It is to prevent what happened to Katie from happening to anyone else. This will be only a small part of Katie’s legacy, but I’m proud to honor the beauty of her through this mission.”
But Katie’s mother, Denise Lorence, disagrees with Joe and has spoken out against “Operation Midway Blitz,” and feels Katie would not support such a policy.
As to Katie’s father, Denise just says, “He’s going through a lot of grief.”
Joe Abraham’s daughter, Katie Abraham, was killed in a car crash in January in Urbana, Illinois, which is about two hours south of Chicago. Police arrested illegal alien Julio Cucul-Bol, a native of Guatemala, and charged him with drunk driving and running from the scene of the accident. Cucul-Bol will serve 30-years in prison for the crime after he reached a plea deal.
Katie’s dad has been a stalwart supporter of the president’s immigration policies and to show his continued support, Joe penned an op ed published by the Chicago Tribune on Friday.
“My late daughter, Katie Abraham, touched many lives, each in their own way,” the grieving father wrote. “She had friends from every walk of life. She was kind, empathetic and endlessly curious. She made people feel seen and valued. Then her life was stolen by a criminal immigrant in the country illegally.”
“That’s why I have supported and continue to support the Donald Trump administration’s ‘Operation Midway Blitz,’ the mission launched in her honor,” he continued. “Contrary to some of the criticism about it, this mission is not political. It is moral. It is to prevent what happened to Katie from happening to anyone else. This will be only a small part of Katie’s legacy, but I’m proud to honor the beauty of her through this mission.”
He continued, writing, “Katie’s death was preventable. She was killed by a man, Julio Cucul Bol, who entered and remained in our country illegally. He was using multiple aliases, exploiting gaps in an overwhelmed and disorganized immigration system. Illinois’ sanctuary law allowed this monster to roam free. He should have been removed long before he could take my daughter’s life.”
Abraham also spoke to the inherent unfairness of allowing millions of illegals to flood our country.
“It would be unjust and unreasonable to separate my family’s loss from the policies that failed us,” he said. “We did everything right. We worked hard, obeyed the law, paid our taxes, and trusted that government would protect us in return. That trust was broken. Our leaders — from the governor’s office on down — have treated immigration as a numbers game, not as a matter of public safety or national security. Governor Pritzker is filling Illinois’ census rolls with unvetted illegal aliens simply to preserve congressional seats and get more federal funding. Katie paid for his scheme with her life.”
“Operation Midway Blitz, at its heart, is about restoring that balance. It seeks an immigration system that is both humane and secure. That’s what Katie would have wanted: a country that keeps its promises, a state that safeguards its citizens, and leaders who put their people first,” he wrote.
“Her death cannot be in vain. Her legacy belongs to all who loved her — and to a nation that still has the power to learn from its mistakes,” Abraham concluded.
The Department of Homeland Security launched “Operation Midway Blitz” in September in honor of Katie.
The Abraham family is torn on the policy, however. Katie’s mother, Denise Lorence, has spoken out against “Operation Midway Blitz,” and insists that Katie herself would not support such a policy. She added that Katie’s name is being used to support “Operation Midway Blitz” even though she is not here to give her consent to the use of her name and image.
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