‘Angel Families’ react to President Trump’s National Day of Remembrance for Americans killed by illegal aliens

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Family members whose loved ones have been killed by illegal immigrants praised President Trump’s declaration to make Nov. 1 a National Day of Remembrance while bemoaning the fact that too many Americans still remain unaware of the problem.

The president’s declaration on Friday – coming just a few days before the general election – seeks to highlight one of his signature policies in curbing illegal immigration.  

“We solemnly stand with their families — our Angel Families — who have endured what no American family should ever have to suffer,” the statement read. “Today, we recommit to ensuring that those responsible for these tragedies face justice, while taking every action to prevent these horrific acts from occurring in our Nation,” the statement read.

A flag sits just north of a new section of the border structure, behind, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020, near Tecate, Calif.  (AP)

Mary Ann Mendoza, whose son was killed in a head-on collision with a drunken driver who was in the country illegally, said that “Angel Families” are very appreciative of President Trump’s declaration.

“There have been many events this past year overtaking the news cycle, but unfortunately the loss of innocent Americans continues to grow daily at the hands of illegal criminals,” Mendoza said in a statement to Fox News.

“Securing our borders, not only protects Americans, but protects the vulnerable victims of human smuggling and the cartel,” Mendoza said. “It is a very lucrative business that is enriching these groups while never giving one thought to the cost of human lives and if they make it here, the burden on American taxpayers that are increasing every year.”

Don Rosenberg, whose son was killed when his motorcycle was struck by an illegal immigrant without a driver’s license, told Fox News that too many Americans are unaware of the problem because it is swept under the rug by the mainstream media.

“Unfortunately, there are too many people – because how most of the media covers illegal alien crime – that think none of it goes on,” Rosenberg said. “And when you talk about, you know, people who have been killed by illegal aliens they’ll say, ‘well, it’s terrible, but it’s only a few.’”

FILE: New citizens, socially distanced, recite the pledge of allegiance outside the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services building in Lawrence, Mass.  (AP)

Rosenberg criticized outlets like The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, and MSNBC, among others, for largely refusing to report on American citizens or legal immigrants being killed by illegal ones.

It’s “just something they don’t cover. So hopefully [the National Day of Remembrance] will get some, you know, little knowledge out there because it’s incredible that nobody knows,” Rosenberg said.

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Though he’s grateful the president has proclaimed a National Day of Remembrance, he said he wished it had been done a few years ago, or even earlier this year “so there’d be a little more time to talk about it.”

“But we’re certainly glad that he’s let the public know,” Rosenberg said.

In his statement, President Trump blasted “our politicians and leaders” who have “met the pain and plight of Angel Families with silence and indifference.”

“Under my watch, the voices of our Angel Families no longer fall on deaf ears. Americans who are killed by illegal aliens are no longer forgotten, and we are ensuring that they will not have died in vain,” the president’s statement read. “Our Nation solemnly stands alongside the mothers and fathers who are no longer able to see their children grow up and have families of their own and for the sons and daughters who have lost a parent or loved one at the hands of someone who never should have been inside our country in the first place.”

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President Trump made cracking down on illegal immigration one of his signature policy issues on the 2016 campaign trail and as commander-in-chief. In the run-up to the General Election, President Trump has sought to distinguish himself from his opponent, Democratic nominee Joe Biden who has  repeatedly framed Trump’s hardline stance as a supposed “anti-immigrant agenda.”

“All they have to offer is four more years of hateful rhetoric and division and policies that will end America’s historic role as a symbol of freedom and prosperity, and as a beacon of hope for those fleeing violence and oppression anywhere in the world,” Biden said in a statement Friday.

Asked how he expects the tide to turn on illegal immigration, Rosenberg told Fox News that “a lot of depends on Tuesday.”

“If Joe Biden wins and the democrats take the senate – they already have the house – you’ll probably see amnesty within the first couple of months,” Rosenberg said. “And basically, you’re just writing off everything that’s happened and, you know, the numbers get reset to zero and they just start over again when the next invasion takes place which will be immediately, probably the first of the year.  “

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Should he win, Biden has pledged to reverse a number of President Trump's immigration policies. He has promised to play a 100-day moratorium on deportation, significantly increase the refugee cap, and scrap the number of policies the Trump administration has put in place to stop the flow of migrants. 

Biden has also said he would end the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), which keeps migrants in Mexico while their hearings play out. Known as the "Remain-in-Mexico" policy, opponents say it puts migrants in danger, while Trump officials say it has effectively ended "catch-and-release" by which migrants were released into the U.S. instead. 

Border officials have warned that ending such policies -- including the 100-day moratorium on deportations -- could lead to a surge across the border. 

Fox News’ Adam Shaw and William La Jeunesse contributed to this report.