As Americans celebrate Father’s Day, the Department of Homeland Security is honoring fathers whose children were killed or catastrophically injured in crimes involving illegal aliens and cartel-linked criminals.
DHS shared the stories of three Angel Dads with Fox News: Marcus Coleman, Joe Abraham and Doug Quets, whose lives were forever changed by tragedy.
“This Father’s Day, the United States Department of Homeland Security honors fathers, children and spouses forever changed by violent crimes committed by illegal aliens who should have never been in our country,” DHS said in a statement.
The recognition comes through the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office, known as VOICE, which was relaunched under the Trump administration after being shuttered during the Biden administration.
Katie Abraham was just 20 years old when she was killed in a crash caused by an illegal immigrant who was driving drunk, according to her father Joe Abraham.
“This Father’s Day, our family is once again facing the unimaginable reality that Katie is not here. We should be celebrating her graduation from Ohio University and looking forward to all the milestones still ahead of her. Instead, we carry the weight of everything that was taken from her, and from us.”
Abraham described Katie as “intelligent, thoughtful, fiercely loyal, and full of promise.”
Her life should have included a college graduation this year. Instead, her family mourns the future she never had.
Abraham said he is grateful DHS chose to honor Katie through Operation Midway Blitz and believes efforts to remove dangerous criminal illegal aliens can help prevent similar tragedies.
Doug Quets is preparing for a Father’s Day marked by another painful anniversary.
Nicholas Quets, a Marine Corps veteran, was 31 years old when he was shot and killed in Mexico while traveling to Rocky Point, according to his father.
“The terrorists, emboldened by failed Biden-era U.S. immigration policies which were weaponized against us, pursued Nick in eleven vehicles stolen from U.S. citizens on both sides of the border,” Quets said.
“After identifying him as a U.S. citizen, they cowardly shot Nick in the back, through the heart, using weapons smuggled south from the U.S. effectively.”
Quets said he is grateful President Trump signed Executive Order 14157 designating Sinaloa and other Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
DHS is also honoring Marcus Coleman, whose daughter Dalilah suffered catastrophic injuries in a crash involving an illegal immigrant.
Unlike Abraham and Quets, Coleman is not mourning the death of a child. Instead, he has spent years caring for and advocating on behalf of his daughter while pushing for reforms he believes could help prevent similar tragedies.
“Dalilah changed my life forever. She taught me that being a father is more than providing—it’s protecting, advocating, and refusing to stay silent when change is needed.”
Coleman, founder of Stand With Dalilah, has dedicated himself to advocacy efforts in the years since the crash that altered his daughter’s life.
The VOICE office has fielded nearly 900 calls over the past year, according to DHS and ICE data. Victims and family members accounted for 87% of callers, who collectively reported 815 crimes linked to immigration violations, including homicides, sexual assaults and violent attacks.
For fathers like Abraham, Quets and Coleman, no government office can restore what was taken from them.
This Father’s Day, while families across the country celebrate with their children, Angel Dads are remembering the sons and daughters they lost.
