Today, President Donald J. Trump welcomed Angel Families to the White House for an emotional ceremony honoring American lives tragically taken by criminal illegal aliens who never should have been in our country. Paying solemn tribute to the second anniversary of Laken Riley’s murder, President Trump signed a Proclamation designating February 22 as National Angel Family Day — a day of remembrance for victims and their grieving loved ones devastated by the consequences of open border policies.
With America’s border now the most secure in history, the Trump Administration remains unwavering in its commitment to remove dangerous criminal illegal aliens from our communities, ensure accountability, and make sure not one more American family has to endure this pain.
- Allyson Phillips, whose 22-year-old daughter, Laken Riley, was killed by an illegal alien while out for a run in Georgia: “If you’ve lived that nightmare that we have lived, you understand the importance of the job that he is doing in securing our nation and fighting for our families — because this could be any family.” (Watch)
- Steve Ronnebeck, whose 21-year-old son, Grant, was shot and killed by an illegal alien while working at an Arizona convenience store: “President Trump talked about Grant even before he was elected in 2016 — and finally, we had hope… Now, today, we are finally going to see that somebody’s going to remember all of our loved ones.” (Watch)
- Laura Wilkerson, whose son, Joshua, was tortured and killed by his illegal alien classmate: “I met a man about 11 years ago who was running for office and he sat with us a couple days, and he watched as the tears rolled down my face as I told him the story of how our youngest son, Joshua, was brutally beaten, tortured, strangled to death, and his body set on fire. The man next to me was President Trump. He never, ever, looked away from my pain. He looked me straight in the eye and he said, ‘I will never forget the story of your sweet son, and I will never give up fighting for the American family.’ … He has never missed a day of fighting for the American family.” (Watch)
- Marie Vega, whose son, former U.S. Marine and Border Patrol Agent Javier ‘Harvey’ Vega, Jr., was ambushed by two illegal aliens during a family fishing trip: “Thank God we have you in office. Without you, America, and the world, would not know the consequences of open borders. Thank you for restoring law and order. Thank you for acknowledging us — the Angel Families.” (Watch)
- Jody Jones, whose brother, Rocky, was shot and killed by an illegal alien: “I’m sick and tired of hearing these Democrat politicians stand up on these podiums and say how sorry they are for seeing these criminal illegal aliens being ‘ripped apart’ from their families. What about us? What about the American family? What about us? We mean something, too, and this man right here understands it.” (Watch)
- Officer Ethan Curreri, who arrested the illegal alien that would go on to murder Laken Riley months later: “I personally arrested José Ibarra for endangering the welfare of a child. A few months later, I saw his face again in the news after he viciously murdered Laken Riley. I did my job. I put him in custody. The system failed; no detainer, no accountability, no deportation, and an innocent American life was taken. If you enter our country illegally, there will be consequences under this Administration.” (Watch)
