Joe Abraham shared with ABC7 that someone from the Department of Homeland Security reached out to him on Sunday, inquiring if they could include his daughter’s name in their announcement. He agreed, with the hope that what follows from the operation “Midway Blitz” could prevent other families from enduring the same heartache.
In an interview from his home in Glenview, Joe spoke to ABC7 in a room dedicated to the memory of his daughter, Katie Abraham. At 20, she felt most at peace in the water.
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“She had this unique personality and sense of humor. She had this wit about her. It’s almost incredible,” Joe said.
Katie lost her life in Urbana on January 19. According to the police, the tragedy occurred when an undocumented driver, allegedly intoxicated, crashed an SUV into the car she and her friends were traveling in. The accident took place around 1:55 a.m., as reported by Urbana police.
Katie Abraham died in an alleged drunk driving hit-and-run car wreck in Urbana, Illinois in January 2025.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
A second woman, 21-year-old Chloe Polzin of Deerfield, died the next day.
The alleged DUI driver, Joe says, had already been deported from the U.S. once before.
“Julio Cucul Bol. I’m sure he will see the light of day again. I have a life sentence now, without my daughter,” Joe said.
Cucul Bol was reportedly en route to Matamoros, Mexico, by bus when he was apprehended on January 22 near Dallas, Texas. Officials mentioned that he was in possession of forged Mexican documents under the alias Juan JaHaziel Saenz-Suarez.
Cucul Bol faces charges of leaving the scene of a fatal accident, aggravated DUI causing death, and reckless homicide related to the tragic incident.
The Department of Justice also charged Cucul Bol with having a counterfeit permanent resident card, a falsified Social Security card, misuse of a passport, and lying on a bank application.
In June, when a Congressional Oversight Committee called upon Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and two other “sanctuary city” governors to testify, Katie’s story was put forth.
“We were at the Oversight Committee hearing, and he couldn’t muster up a word or even sort of acknowledge us,” Joe said.
It was that lack of compassion, Joe said, along with what he believes is an unsustainable approach toward immigration in Illinois, which led him to agree to have Katie’s name used during Monday’s announcement of operation “Midway Blitz.”
“This ICE operation will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew Governor Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets,” a DHS spokesperson said on Monday.
“If their purpose is to remove illegal criminal aliens from the streets, I guess I’m all for that,” Joe said.
On Monday, White House border czar Tom Homan remained vague about what this newly named operation will entail, even as reports are already surfacing of arrests throughout the city. Late Monday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said agents arrested at least four people in the Chicago area on Sunday.
“We’ve increased resources in Chicago. As far as a massive operation, we’ll see what happens,” Homan said.
Advocacy groups and elected officials denounced the immigration roundups on Monday.
“Operation ‘Midway Blitz’ is not public safety. It’s a declaration of war on Mexicans and Latinos in Chicago,” said state Rep. Aaron Ortiz, who represents the 1st District.
But as a child of immigrants himself, Joe rejects that notion.
“I don’t like the false choice of saying, ‘Oh it’s either, it’s a free-for-all, Wild West, unfettered, or you’re a racist.’ That doesn’t comprehend. To me, there needs to be a rational in-between,” Joe said.
A White House spokesperson, in a statement provided to ABC News, said that operation “Midway Blitz” will “make Illinois communities safer” and is consistent with the Trump administration’s commitment to arresting and deporting “dangerous criminal illegal aliens.”
The White House’s statement did not address ABC’s question to them for clarification on whether National Guard or other military troops being ordered to Chicago by the administration. The statement only acknowledges immigration enforcement as part of the operation.
“For years, Democrat politicians looked the other way while criminal illegal aliens terrorized American communities – even embracing ‘sanctuary’ policies to protect these sick criminals. No more. The Trump Administration is committed to arresting and deporting these dangerous criminal illegal aliens and Operation Midway Blitz, honoring Katie Abraham who was killed by a criminal illegal alien, will make Illinois communities safer.” said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, in a statement.
The operation comes as some 300 federal agents are using North Chicago’s Naval Station Great Lakes as the logistical hub for ramped-up operations. Homan says the use of National Guard troops to protect and support immigration enforcement operations is “on the table.”
Meanwhile, a protest and a march against the operation are set to get underway in the Loop late Tuesday afternoon.
A spokesperson for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, issued a statement, saying, “The Governor’s Office has received no formal communication or information from the Trump Administration. Like the public and press, we are learning of their operations through their social media as they attempt to produce a reality television show. As Trump has said himself, this is not about seriously fighting crime or reforming immigration – it’s about Trump’s plan to go to war with America’s third-largest city. If he cared about delivering real solutions for Illinois, then we would have heard from him. Unlike Trump’s reality show, we don’t like keeping people in the dark. Since we have learned of the Trump Administration’s plans to deploy federal agents and active-duty military to Illinois, Gov. Pritzker has shared information with the public and the Governor’s Office has remained in regular contact with leaders and partners at the City of Chicago, Cook County, the Illinois congressional delegation, state legislature, and mayors and representatives from the collar counties.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also issued a statement, saying, “We have received no notice of any enhanced immigration action by the Trump administration. We are concerned about potential militarized immigration enforcement without due process because of ICE’s track record of detaining and deporting American citizens and violating the human rights of hundreds of detainees. ICE sent a 4-year-old boy with stage 4 kidney cancer to Honduras, even though the child was an American citizen. There are more than 500 documented incidents of human rights abuses at detention facilities since Trump took office, including deaths of detainees and alleged cases of sexual abuse of minors by federal immigration agents. Because of these incidents and more, we remain opposed to militarized immigration enforcement that runs afoul of the Constitution in our city. We encourage residents to visit www.Chicago.gov/KYR to stay informed on their rights.”
ABC News contributed to this report.
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