Angel families ask God to bless Trump as he signs proclamation honoring them

Multiple family members of victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants prayed for President Donald Trump during Monday's White House ceremony for a presidential proclamation recognizing Feb. 22 as National Angel Family Day.

The term “angel family” refers to families who lost loved ones as a result of crimes committed by immigrants present in the United States unlawfully. 

Trump highlighted how the day coincides with the second anniversary of the murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley on a Georgia university campus by Venezuelan national Jose Antonio Ibarra in February 2024. 

“Laken was viciously attacked, brutally beaten and murdered by an illegal alien gang member who the last administration heartlessly released into our country," Trump said. 

Shortly after taking office last January, Trump signed the Laken Riley Act, which requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to detain illegal migrants charged with theft-related crimes or those who have been charged with assaulting a police officer. Officials are also required to detain illegal aliens who have committed offenses that injure or kill someone.

During Monday's ceremony, Trump said the bill seeks to “ensure illegal alien criminals are rapidly removed from the United States of America.” He noted that the measure has enabled the arrest of over 21,000 illegal aliens. 

The event featured remarks from multiple angel families, including Laken Riley’s mother Allyson Phillips. Phillips remembered her daughter as “the most responsible, hard-working, kind, selfless, beautiful Christian.” 

Laura Wilkerson, another angel mom, recalled a meeting she had with Trump a decade ago to share her story. 

“I met a man about 11 years ago who was running for office, and he sat with us a couple of days," she said. "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,'" she added. "I looked at him, and I believed him. And here we are, these years later, and you can tell all of the work he’s done. He’s never missed a day of fighting for the American family. I don’t know if I’ve ever met a man who is more interested in this country and running his country and getting it back in shape.”

Wilkerson said she can't begin to "understand the spiritual battles that swirl around the office of the presidency and the man who owns that office.” She asked God to “breathe a fresh breath of air through this administration.”

“Jesus works on my family every day, still healing us today,” she insisted. “I am just so incredibly grateful for the man who’s in office, who never quits. He is sidelined so many times, but we know the man, Jesus, who can take care of that, and we pray today, in His name, that He will sweep through this country and make it right again.” 

Trump then introduced Jody Jones, whose brother Rocky was killed by an illegal immigrant “who went on a deranged crime spree after being released from prison as part of a California sanctuary city policy.” Jones thanked Jesus Christ first and concluded with “God bless you, God bless Donald Trump and God bless America.”

As he introduced two mothers who lost their daughters as a result of crimes committed by illegal immigrants, Patty Morin and Tammy Nobles, Trump said, “Your daughters would be unbelievably proud, and they are as they look down.” 

“I’m sure they’re looking down,” Trump said, reiterating his belief that “they’d be very proud of you and they’re thanking you right now for your courage.”

After Trump signed the proclamation, the names of more than five dozen people who lost their lives to crime committed by immigrants were read aloud as pictures of the victims appeared on a screen. The ceremony concluded with members of the U.S. military giving a rendition of “Amazing Grace.”