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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Andrew Feinberg and Craig Hoyle

Trump brings out false election claims as he honors ‘angel families’ to rally his anti-migrant agenda

President Trump lashed out at Democrats with false claims of election fraud and accused foreign nations of sending undesirable people to the United States as he signed a proclamation honoring the families of Americans killed by immigrants by declaring Monday ‘Angel Family Day’ in an effort to rally his anti-immigrant base and revive public support for his deeply unpopular immigration crackdown.

Trump, who lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, stood in the East Room and claimed his loss was the result of that year’s contest being “run by crooked people” as he linked Biden’s victory to the deaths of audience members’ loved ones.

“Every one of your loved ones would be alive today, everyone in this room. I think every maybe there's one where could have sneaked through during our term, but I don't think so,” he said.

He also accused Democrats of being “professional cheaters” and compared his 2020 loss to the suffering of crime victims’ families, telling attendees: “We've suffered through it together.”

“I suffer for the country,” he said.

Trump claimed that the Biden administration had allowed “25 million people ... to come into our country totally unchecked, totally unvetted.”

“They destroyed your lives,” he added.

Trump also invited several members of so-called “Angel Families” to speak, with some offering effusive praise as they each thanked him for his hardline anti-immigrant policies. The families all lost loved ones allegedly at the hands of migrants who had been in trouble with law enforcement previously.

Steve Ronnebeck, whose son Grant was killed while working behind the counter of a convenience store in Arizona, repeatedly professed “love” for both the country and the president as he declared that their opposition to immigration is based on the desire to prevent crime rather than racism.

“Americans are not racist. We're not xenophobic because we want to a safe America and we want to put Americans first. This man [Trump] is not racist because he wants to put Americans first,” he said.

“I love America. I love Donald Trump, I love my family, and by gosh, I love America,” he added before turning to Trump and calling him “the man.”

For his part, Trump claimed to be “defending American lives” and “for every angel family” with his policies, which according to recent polls are opposed by increasingly large majorities of Americans in the wake of the shooting deaths of two protesters in Minneapolis in recent weeks.

Trump also suggested — without offering evidence — that immigration to the United States during the last administration was driven by foreign leaders deliberately “sending” criminals and mentally ill people to cross into the U.S.

“If you're running a country, you want to send your bad people out. That was the way I looked at it,” he said.

The president’s anti-immigration proclamation comes a day before he delivers his State of the Union address, where he is once again expected to address the border and his ongoing plan to boot undocumented migrants from the country.

Trump told attendees in the East Room that the country is “doing well now” and suggested he’d use the primetime address to boast about the economy even though many Americans are unsatisfied with his performance on that issue thus far.

“We have the greatest economy we've ever had. We have the most activity we've ever had. I'm making a speech tomorrow night, and you'll be hearing me say that. I mean, it's, it's going to be a long speech, because we have so much to talk about,” he said.

The date of today’s event was chosen in memory of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old college student murdered by an undocumented migrant on February 22, 2024.

Trump and Republicans have long used Riley’s death to drive home their message about the supposed dangers posed by unchecked immigration. The Laken Riley Act was the first bill signed by the president during his second term, requiring the Department of Homeland Security to detain “non-U.S. nationals” who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting.

Laken Riley, a 22-year-old college student, was murdered by an undocumented migrant on February 22, 2024. (Supplied)

Then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene attended then-President Joe Biden’s final State of the Union address in 2024 wearing a red MAGA hat and a shirt that said "Say Her Name," referencing the 22-year-old nursing student.

Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, who attended Trump’s State of the Union address last year, was in attendance in the East Room Monday and thanked Trump for his hardline immigration policies.

“You are doing a thankless job that most people just wouldn't do, and I just can't thank you enough,” she said.

Also in attendance was Patty Morin, the mother of Rachel Morin, who was killed by an undocumented El Salvadoran man while hiking in 2023; and Tammy Nobles, the mother of Kayla Hamilton, who was raped and murdered by an El Salvadoran teen in 2022.

“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,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the newspaper 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.”

The president has repeatedly turned to crimes committed by undocumented migrants to justify and deflect from his immigration crackdown, which has caused chaos as federal officers attempt to detain anyone they suspect may not have legal status.

However, in their attempts to safeguard the nation, those federal officers have themselves caused multiple injuries and deaths, with American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti gunned down by immigration enforcers during protests in Minneapolis.

The Minneapolis killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti sparked national outrage, with two thirds of Americans believing ICE should be reformed or abolished. (Octavio Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

Last week, it was revealed that months earlier, another American citizen, Ruben Ray Martinez, had been shot dead by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during a traffic stop in Texas.

Support for President Trump’s immigration policy has collapsed in recent months, with figures from last Tuesday’s Reuters/Ipsos poll showing only a third of Americans think he’s handling it well.

That polling was in line with other results, including a February Quinnipiac survey, in which 63 per cent of American voters disapproved of the way ICE was enforcing immigration laws, while just 34 per cent approved.

Almost three-quarters of Americans want to see ICE either reformed or abolished, according to additional polling from the NBC News Decision Desk earlier this month.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Czar Tom Homan, two top enforcers of the immigration crackdown, were also in attendance at the White House on Monday.

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