Trump honours Angel Families at White House ceremony

United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump hosted a ceremony in honour of Angel Families at White House on Monday, February 23, 2026.

The term “Angel Families,” introduced by the Trump administration, refers to the families of victims killed by illegal immigrants to the U.S.

President Trump has taken a strict stance against illegal immigration to the U.S. and has sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to several states to detain and deport the undocumented immigrants.

According to the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the U.S. president has also signed a proclamation designating “Angel Family Day,” to recognize Laken Riley and other families like hers.

Riley was killed by an illegal Venezuelan immigrant, Jose Antonio Ibarra, in February 2024, while jogging. She was a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia.

Riley’s mother thanked President Trump for honouring her daughter, saying, “You have fought a fight that most people wouldn’t want to have to fight.”

She added that only those who lived the horror that her family experienced could understand the importance of the job Trump is doing.

Trump described the day as a “truly solemn occasion” before re-iteration his claims that the 2020 election was rigged.

He claimed that he would have reduced illegal immigration if he had not lost the 2020 election to former President Joe Biden.