The father of an Illinois woman who tragically lost her life in a DUI crash caused by an illegal immigrant has issued a stark warning to Americans. His comments come as conversations about tightening driver’s license regulations gain momentum.
During a gubernatorial debate in California on Wednesday, Democratic candidate Katie Porter expressed her intention to oppose the Trump administration. This came in response to a question about enforcing English language proficiency for truck drivers.
Porter’s remarks arrive in the wake of several deadly incidents involving illegal immigrant drivers. One such case involves Harjinder Singh, who is accused of making an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike in August, resulting in a crash that claimed three lives, as reported by the Department of Homeland Security.
The Department of Homeland Security initiated Operation Midway Blitz in memory of Katie Abraham, a victim of a hit-and-run by a criminal illegal alien in Illinois. Joe Abraham, her father, collaborated with the department on this operation.
In a recent tragic event, Bekzhan Beishekeev, an illegal immigrant from Kyrgyzstan who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration, allegedly failed to stop for a slowing semi-truck. He veered into oncoming traffic and collided with a van carrying up to 15 passengers, killing four, according to DHS.
Joe Abraham, whose daughter was killed by an illegal immigrant driving under the influence, cautioned Americans in a Fox News Digital interview. He highlighted the risks associated with allowing illegal immigrants to acquire driver’s licenses—whether commercial or personal—without thorough background checks.
“What happens is the outcomes are like what my family’s suffering through right now. So you take away these guardrails, you nullify federal law and then you implement no real process, an upfront process to understand who’s coming into our communities. Are they vetted, they were not. Were they health screened? No, the guy who killed Katie had HIV, no one even identified him until he was incarcerated,” he said.
Joe Abraham holds a photograph of himself with his 20-year-old daughter, Katie Abraham, at their family home in Glenview, Ill., on Sept. 10, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service)
Abraham’s daughter, Katie, was killed in a drunken driving hit-and-run crash that involved an illegal immigrant in 2025 in Urbana, Illinois. Julio Cucul-Bol, an illegal immigrant, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after he crashed into her car and fled the scene.
“Let’s figure out where those cracks are and tighten them up. But if you have a process, and I’ve been talking about this since Katie’s death, you cannot just say, everyone is my neighbor,” he said.
Abraham said at the very least, knowledge of the English language should be a requirement.
“It seems really common sense-wise, and I know that our politicians today struggle with common sense. I don’t know if they try to outsmart their common sense or if it’s just straight up ideology and power. But it seems to me that if you’re on the roads, not only should you know the language and be able to read the signs and understand the flow, but you should be assimilated in some way,” Abraham said.
Katie Abraham was killed when the vehicle she was traveling in was rear-ended by a drunken driver who was an illegal immigrant. (Joe Abraham)
The Illinois resident said his daughter was a “beautiful person” with a “sharp wit.”
“She was so personable. Her personality was so engaging, made everyone feel seen, heard, cared for, compassionate, fair-minded. She loved the water. She was a water polo player. She was a competitive swimmer. Did that all through high school. She had her whole life ahead of her. And see, you know, like a sponge, she soaked in life, every piece of it, and she was only 20. We still had so many plans ahead of us that were, you know, that are just gone because of reckless policies,” he added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Porter’s campaign for comment.
