HIGHLIGHTS: Touching moments from Trump’s ceremony with angel families

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During an emotional ceremony at the White House Monday morning, President Donald Trump assured the families of American citizens who were killed by illegal aliens that they and their loved ones will never be forgotten.

Trump signed a proclamation declaring February 22, 2026, as National Angel Family Day. The day was the second anniversary of the death of Laken Riley, a young nursing student from Georgia who was horrifically murdered by an illegal alien from Venezuela, who had been allowed into the country during the Biden administration.

As President Trump delivered his remarks during the ceremony, it was clear this was a cause very dear to his heart. He knew their stories, he knew their names, and he knew the names of their loved ones.

One by one, the president invited multiple ‘angel parents’ to come to the podium and speak about their sons and daughters, who were killed at the hands of illegal aliens.

In one especially moving part of the ceremony, a candle was lit in honor of the victims, then a slideshow was played showing pictures of the lives taken, as their names were read aloud.

Next, the U.S. Army Chorus sang a beautiful and haunting rendition of “Amazing Grace.”  White House assistant Margo Martin noted in a separate post on X that there was “not a dry eye in the room.”   WATCH BELOW:

Below are some of the individual and moving speeches delivered by the families members, as they shared memories of their loved ones, and repeatedly thanked President Trump for fighting on their behalf.

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.”

Palm Beach County Police Officer, and former NYPD officer Ethan Curreri, who arrested the illegal alien (in New York) who a judge released, that would go on to murder Laken Riley months later in Georgia: “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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

The full video of the entire ceremony is below:

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