My late daughter, Katie Abraham, touched many lives, each in their own way. 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.

And she was also a young woman with a deep sense of fairness — someone who believed in rules, accountability and justice. She wanted things done the right way, not the easy way.

That’s why I have supported and continue to support the Donald Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz,” the mission launched in her honor. 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.

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.

It would be unjust and unreasonable to separate my family’s loss from the policies that failed us. 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 not treated immigration as a matter of public safety or national security.

My parents immigrated legally to this country in the 1960s. They worked hard to build a life here, and they taught me to respect those who follow the same path. I reject the false idea that demanding order and accountability is anti-immigrant. But when politicians open the back door, creating a haven for criminals and rewarding behavior that puts American lives at risk, we all suffer, American citizens and legal immigrants alike.

Illinois’ leaders undermined our nation’s immigration system, unleashing chaos on our streets. My family and thousands of other angel families have become collateral damage to a reckless experiment of sanctuary cities and states. That is not compassion. That is exploitation.

For families like ours, there is no “due process.” Katie didn’t get one. We are serving a life sentence of grief, while those responsible for the conditions that allowed this tragedy to occur have faced no accountability.

When we cried out for justice, we were met with silence. No calls returned, no statements issued, no genuine empathy offered, just bureaucratic coldness. It’s as though my daughter’s tragic death was just a bad data point on a spreadsheet.

What I have left of Katie is a dream, a legacy and a voice. And I’ll use that voice to keep her memory alive and make this nation a better place for America’s future. If even just one life is saved because of her story, then I know my Katie would be proud that I spoke up. And I’ll never stop fighting for her.

As parents, we all process grief in different ways. The best way I know to honor my daughter is to help prevent other families from living this nightmare. To honor her memory truthfully, we must hold on to that part of who she was, too.

So, when people speak of Katie’s legacy, I ask only that they remember all of her — not just the parts that fit a particular political message. She stood for compassion, and she had a deep sense of fairness. She believed in rules, accountability and justice. To honor her, we must reflect that same balance: kindness with accountability, empathy with lawfulness.

Katie would have supported a system where people could come to this country, live the American Dream, and embrace our culture. But she’d also want to live in a world where her family and friends were safe — where her children could play outside without fear.

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.

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.

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Joe Abraham is a Glenview parent, born and raised in Illinois, whose parents immigrated legally to the United States.

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