FIRST ON FOX: As families across the country celebrate Father’s Day, the Department of (DHS) is honoring a group of fathers bound together by tragedy: fathers whose children were killed or catastrophically injured in crimes tied to illegal aliens and cartel-linked criminals.
DHS shared the stories of three Angel Dads with Fox News Digital: Marcus Coleman, Joe Abraham and Doug Quets, whose lives were forever changed by the deaths of their children and whose losses now serve as a reminder of the lasting impact illegal immigrant crime can have on American families.
“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 to Fox News Digital.
The recognition comes through the Office, known as VOICE, which was relaunched under the Trump administration after being shuttered during the Biden administration. The office provides support, offender custody information, victim services and guidance to families affected by crimes with an immigration nexus.
The 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, and violent attacks.
As families gather for time with loved ones, fathers like Joe Abraham are instead confronting the painful reality of another Father’s Day without their children.
years old when she was killed in a crash caused by an illegal immigrant who was driving drunk, according to her father.
This year, her family should be celebrating her graduation from . Instead, they are mourning the future she never had.
“This Father’s Day, our family is once again facing the unimaginable reality that Katie is not here,” Abraham told Fox News Digital. “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 mattered, and she deserved the chance to live it,” he said.
Abraham said he is grateful DHS chose to and believes efforts to remove dangerous criminal illegal aliens can help prevent similar tragedies from happening to other American families.
“While no operation can undo the loss our family has endured, meaningful action to remove dangerous criminal illegal aliens and prevent future tragedies ensures that Katie’s story is not forgotten,” he said.
Hundreds of miles away, Doug Quets is preparing for a Father’s Day marked by another painful anniversary.
“This weekend we will commemorate our second Father’s Day without our beloved son, Nicholas Douglas Quets, who was ambushed in a horrific failed carjacking by Sinaloa affiliated cartel members on October 18, 2024,” Quets said.
Nicholas Quets, a Marine Corps veteran, was 31 years old when he was shot and killed in while traveling to Rocky Point, according to his father.
Quets says his son’s death demonstrates what he believes are the dangers posed by cartel violence and the consequences of .
“The terrorists, emboldened by failed 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.”
“Cartels exploited our uncontrolled border and weaponized our unenforced immigration laws against all of us,” he said.
“While nothing will bring Nick back, we are exceptionally Executive Order 14157 designating Sinaloa
