Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation designating Feb. 22 as National Angel Family Day, honoring Americans killed by individuals in the country illegally and recognizing the families they left behind.
During a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, the president hosted dozens of “angel families,” including Allyson Phillips, the mother of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was killed on Feb. 22, 2024.
“Everyone in this room not only suffered an infinite loss, they were the victims of politicians who put the comfort of foreign criminals before the safety of American citizens and American patriots,” President Trump said.
“Their stories were censored and suppressed … so that the politicians could open our borders and allow our nation to be invaded. But under the Trump administration, their suffering is forgotten no longer,” he added.
President Trump said he had sought for years to formally recognize Angel Families.
“In just a few moments, I officially sign a proclamation that I’ve been waiting to sign for a long time,” he said. “Feb. 22 is going to be National Angel Family Day. Very important.”
Riley was killed after going for a run on the University of Georgia campus. President Trump described how she “went out for a run on a college campus in Georgia” and was “viciously attacked, brutally beaten, and murdered by an illegal alien gang member who the last administration heartlessly released into our country.”
Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan national who was in the United States unlawfully, was convicted in November 2024 of Riley’s murder.
Her death prompted renewed calls for stricter immigration enforcement and led to the passage of the Laken Riley Act, which requires federal authorities to detain migrants in the country illegally who are arrested for burglary or theft. Trump signed the measure on Jan. 29, 2025.
“[President Trump] said he would secure our borders and that he would never forget about Laken – and he hasn’t. He’s a man of his word,” Riley’s mother said at the time.
She continued, “Most importantly, I want to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, because without His sacrifices Laken’s story would have ended on that horrific day…our hope moving forward is that her life saves lives.”