The father of a young woman killed by an illegal immigrant blasted the legacy media on Monday for dismissing President Donald Trump’s recent Angel Families Remembrance Ceremony.

Joe Abraham’s 20-year-old daughter, Katie, was killed last year when the vehicle she was traveling in was rear-ended by an illegal immigrant drunk driver, according to police. Julio Cucul-Bol, a Guatemalan national who was using a Mexican alias, had previously been deported but managed to make his way back to Illinois. 

Trump recently honored families who lost loved ones to crimes committed by illegal immigrants. Abraham, who was in attendance for the ceremony in the East Room of the White House, said it was the first time “Angel Families were not invisible” for years. 

“Major networks that present themselves as defenders of democracy — CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, and MSNBC — gave little meaningful attention to the proclamation or to the families it honored,” Abraham wrote in a newly launched Substack. MSNBC changed its name to MS NOW, following new ownership, in Nov. 2025.

Joe Abraham holds a photograph of himself with his 20-year-old daughter, Katie Abraham, at his family’s home in Glenview, Illinois, on Sept. 10, 2025. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“That silence matters,” he continued. “Because when institutions that shape public perception decline to cover uncomfortable consequences of immigration policy failures, those policies are never seriously examined. They are insulated. Protected. Normalized.”

Abraham believes Angel Families are often reduced to “footnotes,” and their grief becomes politically inconvenient for many news organizations. 

“When coverage does occur, it is often accompanied by disclaimers meant to neutralize impact: ‘Crime happens everywhere.’ ‘Citizens commit crimes too.’ ‘Immigration status doesn’t define a person,’” Abraham wrote. 

“All technically true,” Abraham continued. “All completely beside the point.”

Abraham told Fox News Digital that “the media’s job is to tell the truth — not to curate sympathy based on politics,” when asked why he spoke out against the press. 

“Angel Families who have lost loved ones because of reckless border policies and self-serving politicians are routinely ignored, while isolated incidents involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement trigger wall-to-wall coverage. That’s not journalism — that’s selective outrage,” Abraham told Fox News Digital. 

“The press has created a hierarchy of victims, amplifying some tragedies while downplaying others that don’t fit a preferred narrative. Every victim matters,” he added. “Every family deserves to be heard. If the media wants to regain public trust, it must start acting like an honest broker instead of an ideological advocate.”

CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, and MS NOW did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

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Katie Abraham was killed when the vehicle she was traveling in was rear-ended by an illegal immigrant drunk driver.  (Joe Abraham )

Cucul-Bol was sentenced to 30 years in prison after accepting a plea deal for the hit-and-run that killed Katie, along with 21-year-old Chloe Polzin. He was in possession of fake identification and a bogus Social Security card when he was captured in Texas and eventually entered a guilty plea on charges, including aggravated DUI involving death and leaving the scene of a fatal crash. 

Last week, the White House blasted CNN for failing to provide live coverage of the ceremony. 

CNN failed to cover the event during the 11 a.m. hour when it occurred, prompting deputy assistant to the President and White House deputy communications director Kaelan Dorr to note, “President Trump is currently hosting a truly tear jerking event, signing a proclamation honoring Angel Families,” and slamming CNN’s lack of coverage as, “Sick. Disgusting. Mask is off.”

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Shortly after the noon hour, the event was given an off-hand mention by CNN reporter Kristen Holmes when she said, “You‘re hearing [Trump] give these speeches saying essentially, even just now in this event that he was doing with these Angel Families, talking about how the media never gives him good coverage, he never gets credit for anything that he‘s doing.”

Dorr was not the only prominent voice to condemn insufficient coverage from CNN and other sources. 

“@CNN is a total disgrace,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote. “President Trump hosted a powerful event honoring Angel Families who lost loved ones at the hands of illegal alien criminals and deadly drugs – but CNN refused to cover EVEN one second of it. That’s because CNN doesn’t care about the victims of illegal alien crime. They pretend to be a news organization, but they refuse to cover anything that doesn’t fit the Left’s narrative. This is why CNN is failing and losing all of their viewership.”

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A CNN spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital, “At the time of the White House event, CNN was covering the breaking news around the historic blizzard impacting millions of Americans.”

Fox News Digital’s Alexander Hall contributed to this report.

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