WASHINGTON – President Trump will honor the family of Laken Riley and other victims of crimes by illegal immigrants on Monday by declaring an “Angel Family Day,” the Post can exclusively reveal.
The tribute comes as the president prepares to give his State of the Union address, where the crisis at the border and his plan to expel illegal immigrants from the country are expected to be major topics.
Trump, on Monday, will sign a proclamation designating February 22 as “Angel Family Day,” honoring two survivors and 62 individuals killed by illegal immigrants. The date was chosen in remembrance of Riley, who was killed on February 22, 2024.
It will be the first event of its kind to honor “angel families” who have had loved ones killed by illegal alien criminals, a White House official told The Post.
The special vigil is scheduled to take place in the East Room of the White House at 10 a.m. and will be a “solemn ceremony that reminds us all of why deportations of the worst of the worst must continue,” the official noted.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Czar Tom Homan — the top enforcers of the president’s immigration policy — will join several members of angel families at the event.
Trump has become a champion of angel families. He’s vowed to help them find justice, and has turned them into a political force.
“President Trump is proud to have delivered accountability for Angel Families by ushering in the most secure border in history, deporting the criminal illegal aliens let into our country by prior Administrations, and upholding the rule of law by strongly enforcing our immigration laws,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
“The first bill President Trump signed into law was the Laken Riley Act to prevent these senseless tragedies from happening again and to keep innocent American citizens safe. The President and our nation will join Angel Families in honoring the memory of these amazing men and women.”
Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student, was out jogging when she was murdered by a Venezuelan man in the country illegally, and became a nation-wide symbol for such crimes. Her name became a rallying cry for Republicans who want stricter immigration laws. Jose Ibarra was convicted of Riley’s death in January.
Her murder inspired the Laken Riley Act, which requires federal detention of illegal immigrants arrested for burglary or theft. Trump signed the act into law on January 29, 2025 — the first bill of his second term. Riley’s mother Allyson Phillips and sister attended his State of the Union address last year.
Phillips and NYPD Officer Ethan Curreri, who arrested Ibarra for child endangerment, are scheduled to attend Monday’s event at the White House.
The president will honor several victims at the event, including Katie Abraham, Rachel Morin and Kayla Hamilton, whose family members are scheduled to be on hand for the signing.
Abraham, an Illinois woman, was killed in a drunk driving accident in 2025 by a Guatemalan man who lacked legal status. Morin, a Maryland mother, was killed by an illegal El Salvadoran while out hiking in 2023. Hamilton, a Maryland woman, was raped and murdered by a teenage El Salvadorian national in 2022.
Angel families have given Trump strong support, backing his policies and urging lawmakers on Capitol Hill to support the president. Abraham’s father has appeared in White House videos backing the president’s agenda.
And Patty Morin, Rachel’s mother, made an impassioned plea in the White House briefing room in May of last year to encourage congressional Republicans to pass President Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” which ultimately became law.
Patty Morin is scheduled to be at Monday’s event, as is Tammy Nobles, the mother of Hamilton.
The president has made removing illegal immigrants from the country a top priority, which has led to clashes between federal officials and protesters of their work.
Trump is expected to defend his agenda when he addresses the nation on Tuesday night.