Letters: What is justice for Katie Abraham?

First, I extend my deepest sympathies to Joe Abraham on the loss of his precious daughter Katie. The death of a child is unspeakably tragic. I can only imagine his pain and rage. However, his belief that “Operation Midway Blitz” and Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agenda are the answer to his personal tragedy is profoundly mistaken (“We all share my daughter Katie’s legacy — and her death must still mean something,” Oct. 31).

Katie Abraham died in January in a drunk driving, hit-and-run car accident caused by Juan Cucul-Bol of Guatemala. I cannot imagine the horror of losing a daughter in such a senseless manner. Tragically, millions of other Americans do know this pain, having lost loved ones to drunken American drivers. We have never done enough to address this scourge. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, about 37 people die of drunk driving incidents every day in America.

Joe Abraham and his daughter deserved justice, and they got it with the arrest and conviction of Cucul-Bol, who was undocumented. Cucul-Bol was duly charged, convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

In his grief, Abraham suggests that arresting thousands of people based on quotas — some of the people undocumented, some documented, some citizens, some children, some convicted criminals (28.5%) and many not convicted of a crime in the U.S. (71.5%) — is the real “justice” he and Katie deserve. However, that is a perversion of what justice means.

Justice involves due process. Due process is one of the most fundamental rights afforded to every person in America, documented or not. Trump’s ICE terror raids have been conducted with little evidence of due process, violating the 5th and 14th amendments guaranteeing that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.

Rounding people up through racial profiling, detaining them in inhumane conditions and denying them due process are not bringing justice to Katie. In fact, multiple scientific studies show that undocumented immigrants commit crimes including homicide at significantly lower rates than American-born citizens. My own 85-year-old grandparents were murdered by an American. That tragedy was also related to substance abuse.

Yes, our immigration system needs major reform. I support enforcing immigration laws using due process.

— Wendy Smith, Glencoe

Risk-rank system for ICE

Joe Abraham’s commentary was truly heartbreaking to read. And his well-justified support for Operation Midway Blitz as a way to prevent such future tragedies forced me to compare his support to the strong protests of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities currently ongoing in Chicago. That is, how do I reconcile the need to remove the dangerous people from our communities with the chaotic “chase and grab” ICE missions, missions that sweep up U.S. citizens and immigrants here legally and illegally, apparently on the hope that if enough people are detained, some dangerous immigrants in the U.S. illegally will be found.

President Donald Trump campaigned on, and ICE has repeated, the narrative that the crackdown will focus on the “worst of the worst.” However, ICE and Customs and Border Protection statistics show that over 60% of people in detention have no criminal background. The reality is that a lot of pretty decent folks have been swept up — moms and dads, kids and grandparents. Granted, those here illegally are illegal, but those who’ve led productive, peaceful lives for decades can’t be considered the worst of the worst.

The current scattershot approach to apprehension is a result of a quota system that treats every detention equally, with the grandma selling tamales out of a food cart for 20 years counting the same as the rapist-drug dealer-drunk driver-murderer hiding in the U.S. The ICE search and detain criteria need to change to incentivize finding the latter first.

ICE should establish a point system to risk-rank those here illegally. For example, every person here illegally counts as one point. Those with a property crime, add three points. Those with violent crimes short of murder get five more points. Murder, add another seven points. ICE could award bonuses to ICE/CBP agents based on accumulated “detention points.” A ranking scheme encourages in-depth intelligence gathering and targeted ICE missions.

While some agents — “grandma grabbers” — might go after points one at a time, I believe most “ace” agents would go after the big points for bigger bonuses, bragging rights and pride, resulting in greater focus on and removal of the worst of the worst and more support of ICE actions within communities.

— Eric Jebsen, Wheaton

Balance won’t be restored

In the political climate of the federal government’s ineptitude and downright meanness, there are voters who are one-issue-oriented, pushing aside damaging and illegal aspects of our government’s behavior and the fragile status of our democracy in favor of their single-minded view.

Joe Abraham writes: “I have supported and continue to support the Donald Trump administration’s ‘Operation Midway Blitz,’ the mission launched in (Katie’s) honor.” Katie Abraham was killed in a drunken driving crash, and a 29-year old citizen of Guatemala who lacked legal status was later arrested and charged with reckless homicide, leaving the scene of a fatal crash and other counts. I was saddened to read of Katie’s death, particularly because it is a result of drunken driving, and I hope that Katie’s family finds a way to heal through this tragedy together.

Abraham writes: “We are serving a life sentence of grief, while those responsible for the conditions that allowed this tragedy to occur have faced no accountability.” In 2024 America, there were some 13,000 traffic accident deaths involving drinking, and many people at fault die as a result or are prosecuted. Yet Abraham blames Katie’s death on Illinois leaders who have “undermined our nation’s immigration system, unleashing chaos on our streets.” The op-ed zeroes in on the legal status of the immigrant, passing right by the lack of funding and the minimal and ineffective efforts to reduce or eliminate drunken driving.

In addition, there have been deliberate efforts to weaken immigration’s judicial system through reducing the number of judges, arresting immigrants who honor their court dates, prioritizing detention center construction and slashing judicial budgets. The opinion piece gives no weight to the damage inflicted on tens of thousands of family members of those persecuted by Trump’s policies, including those who have no criminal record but are detained or arrested regardless.

Operation Midway Blitz “at its heart” will not restore that balance of “a system where people could come to this country, live the American dream, embrace our culture … (where) family and friends were safe … (and) children could play outside without fear,” as long as we continue to treat all people on the face of the earth as less than deserving of the same chance Abraham’s immigrant parents received.

— Patrick Comer, Clarendon Hills

Leave your ivory towers

I applaud the comment made by a letter writer (“Suggestion to judge,”

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Oct. 30). He suggested U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis accompany Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino on some of his missions.

In addition, I would suggest some leave their ivory towers and safe homes and wander the streets of communities where the crime rates are high and don’t allow families and young children to enjoy the same freedom and benefits they experience. They judge but most likely never experience the violence and challenges these families are experiencing.

Some lower-income households have enough difficulties and at least should live in a safe environment. If those communities need assistance, it should be provided.

We owe that to residents who are asking and need help.

— Myrna Silver, Coral Cables, Florida

Spend night at Broadview

It’s interesting to note the suggestion that U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis might be more understanding of Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino’s situation if she spent time on the streets with federal immigration agents. Using the same logic, maybe Bovino (and Tricia McLaughlin of the Department of Homeland Security) should spend a night or two in a detention center like the one in Broadview.

— Jim Burke, Indian Head Park

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