Joe Abraham, a lifelong Illinois resident, knows the pain of losing a child to a preventable tragedy—and he doesn’t want Wisconsin voters to experience the same fate. Abraham’s daughter, Katie, was killed in January 2025 when a drunken illegal alien crashed into her vehicle near the University of Illinois campus. The driver, Julio Cucul-Bol, a previously deported Guatemalan national, was driving nearly 80 miles per hour when he hit the car, according to the criminal complaint. Chloe Polzin, who was in the backseat with Katie, also died from her injuries.
In an interview with The Benjamin Yount Show on NewsTalk 1130 WISN in Milwaukee, Abraham issued a stark warning to his neighbors to the north: “Don’t become Illinois, Wisconsin. Please.” He added, “I’m not trying to tell anybody how to vote, [but] I’ve seen this play before.” Abraham, who has pressed Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker for answers without receiving a response, says Katie’s death “was not inevitable. It was preventable.”
A Pattern of Sanctuary Policies
Abraham’s warning comes as Wisconsin Democrats prepare for their gubernatorial primary, with Democratic socialist Francesca Hong emerging as the frontrunner. Hong, a state representative from Madison, has built a reputation for radical positions, including calling to abolish ICE and defund the police. Her past social media posts, which she now tries to distance herself from, reveal a consistent antipathy toward law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
In late August 2020, Hong wrote, “I support defunding the police as a first step towards abolishing the police.” She has also described ICE as a “rogue agency” that is “essentially comprised of white supremacists,” and posted that “Abolishing ICE isn’t radical—it’s good policy.” Hong has even called for canceling Thanksgiving, which she labeled the “original superspreader event that killed Indigenous folx and women,” and has advocated abolishing the U.S. Senate.
Attempting to soften her image, Hong told Politico she “actually love[s]” Thanksgiving, and her campaign has denied her comments about abolishing the Senate—despite clear evidence to the contrary. Her legislative proposal, the so-called “Keep Families Together” package, would close illegal alien detention centers and prohibit all state and local collaboration with ICE, directly challenging the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
The Illinois Example
Abraham points to Illinois as a cautionary tale. In 2021, Pritzker signed a suite of laws making Illinois the second state in the nation to block local law enforcement from partnering with ICE. The state’s original TRUST Act, signed by former Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2017, had already restricted cooperation, and Pritzker expanded those limitations.
The consequences, Abraham argues, are deadly. In March, police say 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman was shot and killed by a Venezuelan foreign national who had been released into the U.S. after being detained at the border in 2023. And in a recent case, a Jordanian man named Hamed Mohammed Hamed Alsaidi, who was unlawfully in the country, was arrested with eight Molotov cocktails. Will County officials had previously released him despite a federal detainer. Illinois law enforcement has repeatedly asked for reforms to the TRUST Act, with State Sen. Dave Syverson co-sponsoring legislation to remove barriers to cooperation with federal authorities—efforts that have so far been fruitless.
Wisconsin Candidates Echo Illinois Policies
While Hong may be the most vocal opponent of federal immigration enforcement in the Wisconsin race, her competitors are not far behind. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the “establishment” candidate backed by Gov. Tony Evers, has said that “local law enforcement in Wisconsin should not get deputized as federal immigration agents.” He has also supported policies that would allow illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses—something Illinois already does. Abraham notes that Katie’s killer was licensed to drive despite being unable to speak or read English.
State Sen. Kelda Roys, another Madison Democrat, has called ICE “incompatible with a free society,” saying the agency is “a rogue paramilitary force” that is “terrorizing our communities.”
Abraham’s message is personal: “Katie’s death was not inevitable. It was preventable.” He says it’s too late for Illinois, which has failed to keep violent illegal immigrants off the road. But he hopes Wisconsin voters will heed his warning before it’s too late for their state.
Source: thefederalist.com — https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/10/father-of-woman-killed-by-illegal-alien-warns-badger-state-voters-dont-let-wisconsin-become-illinois/