Michelle and Joe Abraham’s lives changed forever in January 2025 when their 20-year-old daughter, Katie, was killed in a hit-and-run allegedly caused by a Guatemalan national who was in the country illegally and is suspected of driving under the influence. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently released a video of Katie’s parents speaking about their daughter and the immense loss they experienced. 

"Katie was one of these unique kids. She had such a unique personality. She was very spirited. She made everyone feel seen," Joe said in the DHS video. "Her sense of humor was incredible. Her wit was so sharp."

Katie and her friend, Chloe Polzin, were at a stoplight when a suspected drunk driver, now believed to be an illegal immigrant, struck their car and fled from the scene. Katie died at the scene, while Chloe succumbed to her injuries the next day at the hospital.

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"These two young women—college students with their entire lives ahead of them—were killed by an illegal alien who should have NEVER been in our country. This tragedy was senseless and completely preventable," DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a press release. She went on to slam Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, saying that he and other political leaders who promote sanctuary policies are putting Americans in danger.

A report from the Urbana Police Department states that in the early hours of Jan. 19, 2025, officers were called to the scene of a "severe traffic crash." While the police reports do not say exactly how fast the suspect was going, Joe says in the DHS video that the girls’ car was struck at nearly 80 miles per hour. The Urbana police report says it was at a "high rate of speed."

Urbana Police say the suspect, identified as Julio Cucul Bol, a Guatemalan national, initially used an alias when speaking with authorities. Bol is charged with two counts of leaving the scene of a personal injury crash resulting in death, two counts of reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence resulting in death.

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Joe described the pain of losing his daughter as "gut-wrenching" and said that had Bol been vetted and not allowed into the country, Katie would be alive today.

"It's so gut-wrenching every day, and I wish I could explain it, but it's as if just this large piece of you is gone and will never be back, and you've just gotta move forward with it."

Michelle said in the DHS video that they were not aware that the suspect was allegedly in the country illegally until a few days after the crash.

"The Urbana Police Department was great in getting us the information as soon as they could, but they didn't know where he was. It's that much more difficult to comprehend now this person is on the loose. We don't know where he is. They suspected he was trying to flee," Michelle said.

In May, Bol was indicted by a grand jury on charges of possessing a false permanent resident card, possessing a false Social Security card, false use of a passport and making a false statement on a bank application. Bol faces a potential maximum penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and up to three years of supervised release for the charges related to possession of false documents. Additionally, the charge related to the bank application carries a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison, a $1M fine and up to five years of supervised release.

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"Katie received no due process. And I know they like to use certain terms like disappeared and taken, snatched. But let me tell you, Katie was disappeared, taken, snatched, received no due process at all. And the difference here is Katie was disappeared from us forever," Joe said in response to those who say illegal immigrants are not granted due process.

The Trump administration has implemented a nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration, one of the issues President Donald Trump focused on during his campaign. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported a total of 8,024 nationwide apprehensions in June 2025. Of those apprehended, more than 2,500 were individuals at-large, while over 5,400 apprehensions occurred at or near the point of entry. This is a staggering drop from June 2024, when CBP reported 87,606 nationwide encounters, including 1,800 apprehensions at large and over 85,800 at entry.

"We do need to secure the border. That's been very clear now because it has been abused for obviously specific reasons. And I think what he's doing is the right thing to do. We can't have unaudited folk," Joe said. 

Michelle seemed to agree, saying that "people need to be responsible for enforcing the current law, which is not happening, and that’s what got Katie killed."

As Japan marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings, the mayor of Nagasaki is warning that the world could see the same kind of devastating attack again.

Approximately 2,600 people, including representatives from 90 countries, attended the memorial event on Saturday at Nagasaki Peace Park, according to the Associated Press. At 11:02 a.m., the exact time the bomb exploded over the city, the attendees held a moment of silence. Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki, whose parents survived the 1945 attack, addressed the crowd and called for global action against nuclear weapons.

"Conflicts around the world are intensifying in a vicious cycle of confrontation and fragmentation," Suzuki told a crowd on Saturday, according to a translation by The Mainichi. "If we continue on this trajectory, we will end up thrusting ourselves into a nuclear war. This existential crisis of humanity has become imminent to each and every one of us living on Earth."

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Mayors for Peace, which brings together mayors and city leaders from across the globe, is holding its 11th General Conference in Nagasaki this weekend as the city mourns the tragic day. The organization's aim is to abolish nuclear weapons, a point Suzuki emphasized in his remarks.

"In order to make Nagasaki the last atomic bombing site, it is essential to show a specific course of action for achieving the abolition of nuclear weapons. Procrastination can no longer be tolerated," Suzuki said, according to The Mainichi. 

The mayor also noted that the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) "will represent a crucial moment capable of swaying the fate of humanity."

Every five years, world leaders meet to review the provisions of the NPT, which was opened for signature in 1968 and entered into force in 1970, 25 years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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The U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Japan three days apart. The first was dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and the second was dropped on Nagasaki three days later, on Aug. 9. The bombs decimated both cities, leading to Japan’s surrender on Aug. 15, 1945, and later the end of World War II.

A bomb nicknamed "Little Boy," weighing approximately 9,000 pounds and producing an explosive force equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT, detonated 1,800 feet over Hiroshima, causing massive devastation. "Fat Man," the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, weighed 10,000 pounds and detonated at approximately the same altitude as "Little Boy."

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"I would like to express my deepest condolences for the lives claimed by the atomic bombings, and to all of the victims of war," Suzuki said, according to The Mainichi. "In marking 80 years from the atomic bombing, Nagasaki has resolved to continue our duty to relay, both inside Japan and overseas, the memories of the bombing, which are a common heritage to all humanity and should be passed down for generations throughout the world."

He concluded with a declaration, which was also translated by The Mainichi: "I hereby declare that in order to make Nagasaki the last atomic bombing site now and forever, we will go hand-in-hand with global citizens and devote our utmost efforts towards the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of everlasting world peace."