Illinois sanctuary policies killed my daughter, now another tragedy has happened

I never wanted to write something like this again—especially not so soon.

On January 19, 2025, my family was shattered. My daughter was taken from us in an act of violence that, in my view, should never have happened. In the days and months that followed, I made a decision that no grieving parent should ever have to make: to speak out publicly, over and over again, about what I believe were systemic failures that cost my daughter her life.

I have spoken to lawmakers. I sat for interviews on national television. I wrote and spoke wherever I was given the opportunity—not because I wanted attention, but because I believed—deeply—that what happened to my daughter was not an isolated tragedy. It was a warning.

GOV PRITZKER IGNORED MY LETTER — AFTER HIS SANCTUARY POLICIES KILLED MY DAUGHTER

I said then that if nothing changed, it would happen again.

And now, just over a year later, another family is living that nightmare at the hands of Illinois sanctuary policies.

Katie Abraham was killed on January 19, 2025, when the vehicle she was traveling in was rear-ended by an illegal immigrant drunk driver.  (Joe Abraham )

An 18-year-old college student—someone just beginning life—has been killed. And once again, the circumstances raise the same painful questions about policy, enforcement and accountability. Once again, we are confronted with the possibility that this tragedy, like the one that took my daughter, might have been prevented.

AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT KILLED MY DAUGHTER — LEFTISTS MARCH FOR RENEE, NOT FOR KATIE

There is no vindication in this. Only heartbreak—again.

I don’t pretend to have every solution. But I know this: ignoring the problem will not make it go away. Dismissing these tragedies as isolated incidents will not prevent the next one.

When I first began speaking out, some people listened. Others told me that what happened to my daughter was rare—that it should not shape broader policy, that the system, while imperfect, was working as intended.

But how many times does something have to happen before we stop calling it rare?

GRIEVING FATHER SAYS DAUGHTER’S DEATH BY ILLEGAL ALIEN SHOWS COST OF SANCTUARY POLICIES

What we are seeing now is not just a coincidence. It is the result of policies that, however well-intentioned, create real gaps—gaps where individuals who should be identified, detained or removed are not. Gaps that allow preventable tragedies to occur.

This is not about assigning blame to entire communities. It is not about fear or division. It is about responsibility. It is about whether we are willing to acknowledge that public policy has real-world consequences—and that when those policies fail, people pay with their lives.

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 the sanctuary state of Illinois. (Department of Homeland Security)

I have spent the past year trying to turn unimaginable grief into something that might protect others. I have met with policymakers. I have shared my daughter’s story more times than I can count. I have pushed for changes that I believe could prevent another family from going through what mine has endured.

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And yet, here we are.

Another young life lost. Another family forever changed. Another moment in which we are forced to ask questions that should already have answers.

How many warnings does it take?

How many families have to suffer before we are willing to confront the reality that something is broken?

I don’t pretend to have every solution. But I know this: ignoring the problem will not make it go away. Dismissing these tragedies as isolated incidents will not prevent the next one.

If anything, it guarantees it.

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To the family now living through this: my heart is with you. I know the shock, the anger, the unbearable grief. I know the questions that will keep you up at night. And I am so deeply sorry that the warnings came too late to spare you.

We owe it to them—and to every family—to do better.

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