Trump Signs Proclamation Honoring ‘Angel Families’ After Laken Riley Murder

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Monday designating February 22 as National Angel Family Day, commemorating Americans killed by illegal immigrants and their families left behind.

During a White House ceremony in the East Room, Trump honored “angel families,” including Allyson Phillips, the mother of Laken Riley—a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student murdered on February 22, 2024.

Trump stated that those present had endured an “infinite loss” as victims of politicians who prioritized foreign criminals’ comfort over American citizens’ safety. He condemned how their stories were “censored and suppressed” to allow political leaders to open borders and invite national invasion. “Under the Trump administration, their suffering is forgotten no longer,” he said.

The president recounted that Laken Riley was “viciously attacked, brutally beaten, and murdered by an illegal alien gang member” during a campus run in Georgia. Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan national, was convicted in November 2024 for the crime.

Laken’s death spurred calls for stricter border enforcement and led to the passage of the Laken Riley Act on January 29, 2025—Trump’s first bill of his second term. The law mandates federal detention for illegal immigrants arrested for burglary or theft, with over 21,000 arrests reported since its implementation.

Phillips thanked Trump for honoring her daughter and fulfilling his pledge to remember Laken. “You are doing a thankless job… If you’ve lived the nightmare that we have lived, you understand the importance,” she said. Phillips described Laken as “the most responsible, hardworking, kind, selfless, beautiful Christian” who had not made bad choices and was simply going for a run that morning. She added: “I’m beyond blessed… She’s one in a ton of people that have suffered at the hands of illegal immigrants.”