WATCH LIVE: Trump Honors Angel Families at the White House, Recognizing Laken Riley

President Trump is holding an "angel families" remembrance ceremony at the White House Monday to designate Feb. 22 as "Angel Family Day" and to recognize Laken Riley and other families whose relatives were killed by people who were in the U. S. illegally.

Laken Riley recognized at White House ceremony

The event is meant to recognize Laken Riley, the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was killed in February 2024 while out jogging. Her mother, Allyson Phillips, attended and publicly thanked the president for honoring her daughter and other families. The administration has also said the first bill the president signed into law in his second term was named for Riley.

How the administration frames "angel families" and the Feb. 22 designation

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on social media Sunday night that the president was signing a proclamation designating Feb. 22 as "Angel Family Day. " The administration is using the term "angel families" to refer to relatives of people killed by someone who was illegally in the U. S. The Feb. 22 designation was described as an occasion to honor those victims and their families.

Details of the Riley case and legal aftermath

Riley was killed while out for a run. Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan man, is now serving a life term for her murder. Ibarra had been arrested for illegally entering the U. S. and was later released to pursue his case in immigration court. Riley's case became a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration.

Political context: presidential remarks and contested election claims

The president called the event "a truly solemn occasion. " He used the platform to reiterate claims about the 2020 election, saying he would have acted the same way earlier had he not lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden. The event was also used to repeat the assertion that the 2020 outcome was rigged, a claim that the context states is not supported by evidence. The context notes that the president lost dozens of court challenges, that his own attorney general found no evidence of widespread fraud, and that reviews, audits and recounts in the battleground states where he contested his loss affirmed Biden's victory.

The president has received high marks in his second term for measures described as practically cutting off the flow of illegal immigration into the U. S. from Mexico, and those policy outcomes are being raised alongside the remembrance event.

Family reaction, public outreach and the poll question

Allyson Phillips, Riley's mother, thanked the president for the work he has done to honor her daughter and others killed by people in the U. S. illegally. Phillips said that public perception of the president is different from the man she has come to know, and she praised his willingness to take on a fight that many would avoid. The context also notes that some descriptions of Riley's character offered by her mother cannot be independently known by others.

In parallel, a public vote prompt asks: Do you think President Trump's immigration policies have made your community safer? The event includes the families of Laken Riley and Rachel Morin, among others, and the designation on Feb. 22 is presented as an occasion to honor those whose family members were killed by illegal immigrant criminals. The context makes clear that the event and the question of policy impact are being presented together for public consideration.

Recent updates indicate these are the facts available in the provided context; details may evolve.