Amid Anti-ICE Activism, Indiana Needs To Boost State-Level Immigration Enforcement
States should support federal immigration authorities as they protect Americans and defend U.S. sovereignty.States should support federal immigration authorities as they protect Americans and defend U.S. sovereignty.Christmas without Katie — and without accountability
One of my daughter’s favorite parts of the holidays was being together with our entire family. She had a way of drawing everyone in, captivating us with her stories and adventures. She loved the lights, the sounds, and the energy of the season — the warmth and joy that made the holidays feel alive.
This Christmas will my family’s first without her joy and her warmth. Her life was taken too soon by someone who shouldn’t have been here to begin with. It didn’t have to be this way, and those responsible should be held accountable.
Christmas is a time for mercy. Katie was a merciful person and was quick to forgive. But we need more than mercy to move forward.
My daughter Katie Abraham was just 20 years old on January 19, when she was killed on the streets of Urbana, Illinois, by an illegal alien. Every day since has been marked by a void that cannot be filled — a pain that deepens as we approach the first anniversary of her death.
Her life was stolen by Julio Cucul-Bol, an illegal alien using an alias, who fled on foot after slamming into the vehicle she was riding in at nearly 80 miles per hour.
Bol was driving drunk and had previously been deported. In federal court, through an interpreter, he stated that he had no formal education, could not read or write in any language, and did not speak English — even after years in this country.
I refuse to accept that what happened to my little girl was accidental. The factors that caused her death were deliberate, reckless, and completely avoidable. They are the direct result of extreme sanctuary policies championed by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) and his political allies. Illinois leaders deliberately ignore the harm these policies cause families like mine because acknowledging it would expose their recklessness.
Compassion, in Illinois, seems reserved exclusively for illegal aliens — while victims and citizens are forgotten.
Bol was eventually apprehended by U.S. marshals two days after President Trump took office, caught in south Texas while heading for the border. I am grateful to the president, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and ICE for securing the border immediately. Had Joe Biden and Alejandro Mayorkas remained in charge, I firmly believe Bol would have escaped into Mexico and would never have been held accountable.
Bol accepted a plea deal of 30 years, of which he will serve 85%. Still, he killed two women and injured three others. No matter how it is framed, justice feels incomplete.
My daughter’s killer shouldn’t have been here in the first place, but Pritzker and the other sanctuary politicians in Springfield did everything they could to protect him from federal law enforcement. No accountability. No protection for law-abiding citizens. They call it compassion. These officials pretend to care about everyone while actually caring about no one.
Which brings me to the question that will not leave my mind: Where is the responsibility of the state of Illinois?
Does Illinois bear no responsibility for policies that allowed someone so dangerous to live freely among us? Who in state government will step up and challenge these policies? Who will speak for Katie?
So far, not a single Illinois politician has. Our governor is silent when it comes to my daughter, even as he loudly defends those who entered our state illegally and without vetting.
RELATED: Trump celebrates historic crime drop in hostile sanctuary city after federal ‘blitz’: DHS
As parents, we do everything we can to protect our children — only to watch radical leaders advance policies that put them in harm’s way. It is infuriating to have no recourse against the destructive one-party rule of what was once a great state. Politicians shield themselves with immunity while families like mine live with irreversible consequences.
I have lived in Illinois my entire life. I remember when this state had guardrails — when it would have intervened to protect its citizens, especially its children. That Illinois no longer exists.
Another word defines our current reality: exemption.
Why do some groups receive exemptions from personal responsibility while others do not? Why are repeated violations of federal and state law rewarded rather than punished? Illinois leadership seems to believe that those who break countless laws will somehow transform into model citizens once released without consequence. History tells us the opposite.
Christmas is indeed a time for mercy. Katie was a merciful person and was quick to forgive. But we need more than mercy to move forward. The theologian Thomas Aquinas famously said that “mercy without justice is the mother of dissolution,” and he was right. Forgiveness without accountability is not compassion — it is negligence.
Without that accountability and the acknowledgment of wrongdoing, the people of Illinois will continue to suffer, and sanctuary policies will just create more victims.
So I ask again: Where is Pritzker’s responsibility? Where is the responsibility of the state of Illinois?
Because families like mine are paying the price.
The White House Should Go Back To Its Crackdown On Sanctuary Officials
The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment on whether the Trump administration will seek to prosecute public officials for enforcing sanctuary city policies.Trump’s DOJ cracks down on defiant sanctuary city mayor shielding illegal aliens
The Trump administration's Department of Justice is taking legal action against another sanctuary jurisdiction.
The DOJ filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Boston, contending that the city's sanctuary status interferes with the federal government's immigration enforcement.
'If Boston won't protect its citizens from illegal alien crime, this Department of Justice will.'
The agency accused Democrat Mayor Michelle Wu, who recently reaffirmed her support of sanctuary policies, of "repeatedly" shielding criminal illegal aliens from federal immigration agents and endangering public safety.
"In a recent letter to Attorney General Pamela J. Bondi, Mayor Wu went so far as to say that 'Boston will never back down' from its sanctuary city policies," the DOJ's lawsuit read. "Cities cannot obstruct the Federal Government from enforcing immigration laws. When that occurs, a city breaks the law. The City of Boston is doing just that."
The department argued that the city's sanctuary policies, specifically the Boston Trust Act, are illegal under federal law. The act prevents local law enforcement and other city departments from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detainer requests.
RELATED: ‘Flood the zone’: ICE fires back at Boston Mayor Wu’s sanctuary defiance
The lawsuit against Boston is part of the DOJ's greater effort to take legal action against sanctuary policies nationwide. The department previously filed complaints in New York, New Jersey, and California.
"The City of Boston and its Mayor have been among the worst sanctuary offenders in America — they explicitly enforce policies designed to undermine law enforcement and protect illegal aliens from justice," Bondi said. "If Boston won't protect its citizens from illegal alien crime, this Department of Justice will."
RELATED: Boston mayor vows to continue resisting Trump's deportation efforts
Wu responded to the lawsuit by declaring that the city "will not yield."
"This is our city, and we will vigorously defend our laws and the constitutional rights of cities, which have been repeatedly upheld in courts across the country. We will not yield," Wu stated.
"This unconstitutional attack on our city is not a surprise," Wu continued. "Boston is a thriving community, the economic and cultural hub of New England, and the safest major city in the country — but this administration is intent on attacking our community to advance their own authoritarian agenda."
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‘Flood the zone’: ICE fires back at Boston Mayor Wu’s sanctuary defiance
President Donald Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement is pushing back against Boston Democrat Mayor Michelle Wu's refusal to end the city's sanctuary policies.
During a rally held earlier this week, Wu stated that the city received a letter from the U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi "threatening to prosecute city officials and withhold federal funds unless we cooperate with carrying out mass deportations."
Bondi sent similar letters to Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington.
'Our elected officials may not appreciate the important work ICE does, but their residents sure do.'
Wu accused the Trump administration of causing "fear and harm" within the community.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons fired back at Wu's refusal to cooperate with immigration officials.
RELATED: Boston mayor vows to continue resisting Trump's deportation efforts
During an interview on "The Howie Carr Show" on Wednesday, Lyons declared, "We're definitely going to … flood the zone, especially in sanctuary jurisdictions."
"Boston and Massachusetts decided to say that they wanted to stay sanctuary," Lyons continued. "Sanctuary does not mean safer streets. It means more criminal aliens out and about the neighborhood. But 100%, you will see a larger ICE presence."
Lyons stated that there are many Boston law enforcement officers and jurisdictions outside the city that want to work with ICE.
"That's what I think local leaders don't understand is they need to talk to the men and women on the ground, because … there are so many of these criminal aliens that keep getting released to go out and commit more crimes that the local law enforcement have to deal with. We can take that violent criminal alien instantly out of the neighborhood," Lyons added.
RELATED: House GOP calls 'sanctuary' governors to face oversight grilling on public safety
"Massachusetts residents are safer when ICE is keeping our country safe," Paul Craney with the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance told Blaze News. "If ICE Director Tom Lyons wants to flood Boston, it just means Boston will become safer. Anyone who has eyes has seen for themselves the crime in Boston, and as a state and city, we should be doing everything we can to welcome their assistance. Our elected officials may not appreciate the important work ICE does, but their residents sure do."
ICE Boston announced Thursday that it recently completed a four-day operation in Connecticut, declaring the state "a sanctuary no more."
Acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde contended that sanctuary policies endanger the communities they aim to protect.
Hyde told “America’s Newsroom” on Wednesday, “Unlike Mayor Wu, I was born and raised in Massachusetts. I grew up in Boston.” Wu was born and raised in Chicago. She first moved to Massachusetts to attend Harvard
"I know what a safe Boston looks like, and this isn’t it,” Hyde remarked.
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Exclusive: DHS underground nightclub raid dismantles alleged drug operation tied to illegal aliens
A July raid at an underground night club in Los Angeles, California, led to multiple arrests and the dismantling of a drug and financial scheme, according to a Department of Homeland Security press release exclusively obtained by Blaze News.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection executed a search warrant on July 19 at an El Monte nightclub as part of a drug trafficking investigation.
'Unfortunately, sanctuary politicians in California give cover to criminals to run an underground club filled with drugs and illegal financial schemes.'
Federal agents interrogated and searched 66 individuals, confiscating narcotics and drug paraphernalia.
DHS reported that it also seized thousands of gift cards that had been re-encoded and are suspected to be part of an illegal financial scheme.
ICE arrested eight illegal aliens, including six from China, one from Malaysia, and one from Mexico.
Among those apprehended, Qingmei Wang was charged with felony possession of illegal drugs with intent to distribute.
RELATED: Democrat state senator remains committed to alerting illegal aliens of ICE raids in her state
Zedong Zhang faces charges of trafficking or manufacturing controlled substances.
Bo Liu faces charges of possession of an illegal drug substance.
Shao Meng was charged with obtaining money by false pretenses.
Isaias Ramirez-Rosas was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of paraphernalia, vandalism, and trespassing.
RELATED: Sanctuary cities on DOJ's list set to reap the whirlwind
All of those arrested are currently awaiting removal proceedings.
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the DHS Tricia McLaughlin stated, “In July, ICE and CBP agents worked together with the FBI and DEA to dismantle criminal drug operations in Los Angeles, California, which resulted in the arrest of multiple illegal aliens.”
“Unfortunately, sanctuary politicians in California give cover to criminals to run an underground club filled with drugs and illegal financial schemes. Under President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem, DHS law enforcement is protecting Americans and keeping our communities safe,” McLaughlin said.
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Indiana Sheriff Argues He Can’t Be Prosecuted For Failing To Cooperate With ICE
The Democrat-run police department 'has repeatedly released criminal aliens into the community' for at least a year, says the AG's office.This state just made ‘misgendering’ grounds for child removal
Just as commonsense, reality-based reforms gain momentum nationwide, Colorado lawmakers have raced in the opposite direction — pushing transgender legislation that defies reason, conscience, and the Constitution.
For Coloradans who still believe in parental rights and free speech, the state’s rapid slide into a legal and cultural dystopia feels less like policymaking and more like a hostile takeover.
This agenda is not about tolerance. Its advocates want dominion over our children, our families, our language, and our wallets.
Transgender activists dominate both chambers of the Colorado General Assembly and occupy the governor’s mansion. Whatever agenda they set — no matter how extreme — they have the votes to pass. And this session, they delivered. Some proposals were so radical that even California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) refused to sign similar measures.
Too extreme for California
Lawmakers passed two sweeping bills. HB1312 effectively criminalizes dissent, while HB1309 compels taxpayers and private insurers to fund transgender medical procedures.
And if that weren’t enough, the state now boasts a “trans continental pipeline” — designed to attract minors and adults from other states seeking gender transitions.
HB1312 drew national attention for its blatant assault on speech and parental rights. The bill bans “deadnaming” and “misgendering,” even in private settings. Parents who decline to affirm their child’s gender identity could face accusations of abuse and risk losing custody. Schools and businesses must adopt ideologically driven language, regardless of biological fact — or face lawsuits for discrimination.
When critics raised legitimate concerns about the erosion of parental rights, supporters responded by comparing parental rights groups to the Ku Klux Klan and Nazis.
Facing growing national backlash, some transgender advocacy groups quietly expressed concern over the bill’s visibility. Lawmakers responded with superficial amendments, hoping to defuse opposition. The changes amounted to political theater — and nothing more.
RELATED: Red-state rot: How GOP governors are handing power to the left
Lawmakers removed the explicit bans on “deadnaming” and “misgendering” from HB131, but they didn’t abandon the agenda. Instead, they embedded new “rights” into the bill’s anti-discrimination section, including the right to use a “chosen name” and self-selected pronouns. In effect, the bill still prohibits deadnaming and misgendering — just under different language.
In practice, this means that if a public school student adopts a new name or pronouns, and a parent declines to affirm that change, the state could treat the parent as discriminatory. That refusal could trigger a state investigation. If authorities deem the parent abusive, the child could be removed from the home.
Amendments or not, HB1312 remains a dangerous overreach — an overt attempt to impose radical gender ideology through state power. It violates core constitutional protections and intrudes on the most basic parental rights.
HB1309, though less publicized, poses an equally serious threat. It mandates that health insurance plans — and by extension, taxpayers — fund any transgender medical intervention imaginable, from puberty blockers to hormones to surgeries. Yet according to a recent report from the Department of Health and Human Services, these procedures can cause lasting physical and psychological harm.
Gov. Jared Polis (D) has already signed HB1312 into law. It’s only a matter of time before he signs HB1309.
Building the transgender ‘pipeline’
Colorado’s so-called “trans continental pipeline” became official last year. Marketed as a sanctuary from “unsafe situations and political climates,” the program funnels transgender individuals into the state through an organized four-step relocation plan. Activists behind the pipeline once operated covertly on Tinder, the dating platform. Now they run a public website promoting the service.
The pipeline offers applicants help with moving, housing, employment, and access to hormone replacement therapy — all under the banner of “care.” Organizers boast that Colorado ranks among 14 states offering what they call the nation’s “best legal protections for LGBTQ+ individuals.”
In reality, Colorado’s legislature and governor have fully aligned themselves with radical activists bent on transforming the state into a haven for gender ideology — at the expense of free speech, parental authority, and basic biological reality.
This agenda is not about tolerance. It’s about control. Its advocates want dominion over our children, our families, our language, and our wallets.
Silence is no longer an option. Americans of goodwill must reject the bullying tactics of transgender ideologues and stand firm for truth, for parental rights, and for the future of their communities.
National, State Leaders Ask Indiana Senate To Stop Blocking Vote On Immigration Enforcement Bill
'When Hoosiers went to the polls last November, they did not vote for half-measures or vague promises,' the America First letter tells Bray.Massachusetts frees illegal alien child rape suspects on low bail as Mayor Wu doubles down on sanctuary laws
Massachusetts released illegal aliens with child rape charges back onto the streets by setting low bail amounts.
A Thursday WBZ-TV report looked into accusations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that local law enforcement had released suspected violent criminals.
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According to ICE press releases, Boston Police freed one individual, and others were released from jails or courts.
Jose Fernando-Perez, an illegal alien from Guatemala, was charged with three counts of forcible rape of a child and three counts of aggravated rape of a child. ICE arrested him in February after a court ignored the agency's detainer request, releasing him on "pre-trial conditions" in October 2022. WBZ reported that Fernando-Perez posted $7,500 bail with an order to remain at home.
'Giving sanctuary to violent criminal immigrants.'
Acting field office director for ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston, Patricia Hyde, stated that Fernando-Perez "is exactly the type of alien we are targeting with our 'worst first' policy."
"He posed a significant danger to the children of Massachusetts, and we will not tolerate such a threat to our community," Hyde said.
Stivenson Omar Perez-Ajtzalan, also an illegal alien from Guatemala, was charged with aggravated rape of a child with a 10-year age difference. He, too, posted his $7,500 bail and was released with a GPS monitor, according to WBZ. He was apprehended by ICE earlier this month.
"Not only did Perez display a blatant disregard for our immigration laws, he sexually assaulted a child. He came to this country to do harm, and now he must be made to face the consequences of his actions," Hyde stated.
Juan Alberto Rodezno-Marin, an illegal alien from Honduras, was released with a GPS monitor after he was charged with "indecent assault and battery on [a] person over 14, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, masked armed robbery and assault to rape." He was apprehended by ICE in January.
WBZ reported that Worcester County Jail released two individuals accused of child rape after they posted just $500 bail.
Two other inmates facing cocaine and fentanyl trafficking charges were bailed out on $500 and $4,000 bail.
Worcester County Sheriff Lewis Evangelidis told WBZ, "Most people would not think that's an appropriate bail."
Under Massachusetts law, local law enforcement is prohibited from holding an inmate based only on their illegal immigration status, thereby forbidding them from cooperating with ICE detainer requests.
"It's very frustrating for me to know I might have a drug trafficker or a violent offender, I call ICE and they're like, we're very busy with a couple situations, I can't get there for a few hours. I can't hold them right now," Evangelidis stated. "We've seen the detainers triple in the last three years. We were in the 30s a couple years ago. We exceeded 100 in 2024. To me, that means there are more people illegally in the Commonwealth committing crimes."
Meanwhile, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu (D) continues to defend her city's sanctuary policies. During a State of the City speech last week, the mayor said she "stand[s] with immigrants."
"While this national moment isn't the one I — and so many families — had hoped for, I am grateful that my daughter gets to call this city home. Boston is not a city that tolerates tyranny," she said. "Boston doesn't back down."
During a 2023 interview with GBH's Boston Public Radio, Wu stated that everyone has a "legal right" to enter the U.S. to claim asylum and seek shelter.
President Donald Trump's administration responded to Wu's State of the City speech, claiming she had "doubled down on giving sanctuary to violent criminal immigrants."
"Why is Mayor Wu intent on defying the will of the American people and obstructing the Trump Administration's efforts to remove these monsters from our streets?" the administration questioned.
Wu accused the administration of spreading "reckless propaganda."
"Boston is proud to be the safest major city in the country, and we work with all levels of law enforcement every day to prevent crime and hold perpetrators accountable," Wu said. "If the Trump administration is truly concerned about safety, they should fund healthcare and education, support our veterans, pass common sense gun reforms, and stop threatening our economy."
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