Overview
- At an East Room event, the president signed a proclamation establishing Angel Family Day and the program honored two survivors and 62 people killed by noncitizens.
- The date was set in remembrance of Laken Riley, the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student killed on Feb. 22, 2024; Jose Antonio Ibarra was convicted and is serving life in prison.
- Officials described the observance as the first of its kind at the presidential level, designed to elevate the administration’s immigration-enforcement agenda.
- Family members, including Riley’s mother Allyson Phillips, and former NYPD officer Ethan Curreri delivered emotional testimonies during a ceremony that included a candle lighting and a reading of names.
- The White House highlighted the Laken Riley Act, signed Jan. 29, 2025 to mandate federal detention for certain arrests of noncitizens, and noted attendance by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and border adviser Tom Homan.