There are moments in life when the distance between rhetoric and reality becomes unbearable. March 25th, in a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on the Constitution—focused on sanctuary cities and the rule of law—was one of those moments for me.
I was there to do what no parent should ever have to do: speak about the violent, preventable death of my daughter, Katie.
Katie Abraham was killed in Urbana, Illinois, when an intoxicated illegal immigrant slammed into the back of the car she was riding in—at nearly 80 miles per hour—while they were stopped at a red light. She didn’t put herself in harm’s way. She wasn’t part of a volatile confrontation. She was simply living her life until reckless policies and failed leadership intersected with devastating consequences.
And still, in the eyes of my own state’s leaders, she is treated as if she never existed.
This wasn’t the first time.
On June 12, 2025, during an oversight hearing in the House of Representatives, not a single Illinois Democrat acknowledged Katie. Not one said her name. Not one looked in our direction. That day, I made a promise to my daughter: I would not allow her to be erased simply because her story is inconvenient to a political narrative.
I intend to keep that promise.
Before the March 25 hearing began, I encountered Senator Tammy Duckworth. I approached her, told her who I was, and why I had come. She was unaware of Katie’s death.
Unaware.
I was stunned. My daughter’s life—taken in such a violent, preventable way, shaped by policies she supports—and she had no knowledge of it. When she asked me to explain Katie’s story, I refused. Not out of cruelty, but out of principle. If you are going to shape policy that affects the lives and safety of Illinois families, the least you can do is take the time to learn about the consequences of those policies.
I told her to do her own research. To learn Katie’s name. And if she did, she could call me.
Later, a staffer reached out with condolences—polished, predictable, and hollow. Words about “public safety” that ring empty when not matched by action.
Then came the hearing itself.
Other senators—those outside of Illinois—took the time to engage, to listen, and to acknowledge Katie’s life. They showed something that has become increasingly rare among Illinois leadership: basic human decency.
And then there was my senior senator, Dick Durbin.
He delivered his opening statement. He spoke at length. About himself. About his record. About how “bipartisan” he believes he has been over the decades in office.
But not one word—not one—about Katie.
Not even a passing acknowledgment.
And when the hearing concluded, Senator Durbin left the room without so much as a glance in my direction.
That kind of indifference is not accidental. It is a choice.
It is the product of a political culture in Illinois where ideology outweighs humanity, where narratives matter more than people, and where tragedies like my daughter’s are ignored because they expose uncomfortable truths.
Katie was too good for that.
She was too good to be reduced to silence. Too good to be erased because her life—and her death—don’t align with the policies Illinois politicians continue to defend.
What made the contrast even more striking was that senators I strongly disagree with on policy—Senators Peter Welch of Vermont and Alex Padilla of California—took the time to acknowledge Katie. To recognize her humanity. To treat her as more than an inconvenience.
In two and a half hours, they showed my family more consideration than Illinois leadership has in over a year.
Let that sink in.
Senator Durbin has spent more than 30 years in office cultivating an image of moderation. But image is not reality. His voting record—and the policies he champions—tell a different story. One of ideological rigidity, not balance. One of political self-preservation, not public service.
At the hearing, he praised himself. Highlighted his own achievements. Framed himself as a bridge-builder.
But leadership is not defined by what you say about yourself. It is defined by how you treat people—especially in their darkest moments.
And in that regard, Senator Durbin failed completely.
Illinois deserves better than leaders who cannot muster the basic humanity to acknowledge the loss of one of their own constituents. We deserve better than politicians who deflect, deceive, and dismiss when confronted with the real-world consequences of their decisions.
As Senator Durbin prepares to step down, I believe Illinois will be better off.
That is not said lightly. It is said from experience. From pain. From watching, time and again, as those entrusted with leadership choose politics over people.
If there is one lesson voters should take moving forward, it is this: do not blindly accept the next name handed to you. Do not reward endorsements from a system that has shown such disregard for its own citizens.
Demand better.
Because Katie deserved better.
And I will not let them erase her.
Editor’s Note: Democrat politicians and their radical supporters will do everything they can to interfere with and threaten ICE agents enforcing our immigration laws.
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