Press Releases

WASHINGTON — This evening, House GOP Leadership hosted a press conference following passage of the Secure America Act – legislation that will fund immigration enforcement and border security efforts for the remainder of President Trump’s term in office. This legislation now heads to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

House GOP Leaders were joined at the press conference by members of angel families, or American families whose lives have been devastated by criminal illegal aliens and the scourge of fentanyl that has flown over American borders. Despite their tragic stories – and the tragic stories of millions of other Americans who have been harmed by criminal illegal aliens and deadly fentanyl – House and Senate Democrats unanimously opposed this legislation.

“This is good news for everybody except Washington Democrats. They gained absolutely nothing from their reckless crusade to return our country to open borders and unfettered mass migration. House Republicans will always stand with America's law enforcement,” Speaker Johnson said. “And we will always work to ensure that these brave men and women have the resources they need to carry out their responsibilities to protect America's families and communities, and to prevent tragedies like the murder of Laken Riley, Sheridan Gorman, and so many other precious lives that have been lost as a result of President Biden and the Democrats’ open border policies.”

Watch Speaker Johnson’s remarks here.

Below are excerpts from angel families’ remarks:

Chris Storie: “I'm here to tell anyone who thinks that there is no cost to our country having open borders. They're wrong. The cost is American lives, Americans being killed, maimed, injured every single day at the hands of these illegal aliens who should have never been in our country … The cost is too high for us having open borders. It has to end. There has to be something done about it. And this administration and President Trump are the first ones that have done anything to help our families.”

April Babcock: “We're just trying to warn Americans; we're trying to save your kids from death. Our kids are dead, we can't bring them back, but we're just trying to raise awareness and warn the public. And I really want to say, any politician that does not support funding ICE, funding CBP, securing our border, they are traitors to our country.”

Jackie Long: “I can't even believe that we have to ask for funding for agencies that protect American citizens. With open borders, it allowed so many illegal aliens to come through. There are at least a good 200,000 victims that you haven't even heard about that were murdered by illegal aliens. There are over 500,000 US citizens that have died from fentanyl poisoning. Two of those victims are my son, Ryan, and his girlfriend, Stephanie, found together dead from illicit fentanyl poisoning. So, we really do appreciate the Trump Administration for taking the actions that are needed to stop the crises of this fentanyl in this country.”

Deborah Dinnocenzo: “I have no doubt that my children, the fentanyl that killed my children, came from the southern border. So, what happened today is huge. We need ICE. We need to save American lives. Why would we not want to do this? How could they vote against it? It baffles my mind. All these people, 500,000 people, that if it were up to them, they would not have ever been protected.”

Michael Dinnocenzo: “It's a shame that my mom is going to cry right now; she's not supposed to be crying. Losing two siblings is hard; losing anyone in your family to illicit fentanyl is really hard. Illicit fentanyl is not supposed to be coming through our borders. Thank God we have an administration that's putting something up to stop this. The borders need to be closed and we're going to strengthen our borders due to the new ICE act that's being enforced by Speaker Johnson.”

Debbie Santini: “For four years, as you've heard up here, with the Biden Administration, we were not heard by any of them. They didn't care. And President Trump heard our cries, and he's listened to us and he's had us in the White House. They're working really hard to protect each and every American life. We have enough American criminals here in our country; we don't need to bring illegal alien criminals here and give them the right to continue to rape, murder, kill, and bring their illicit drugs to take more lives. My life and the life of my family has forever changed without my beautiful baby. My life will never be the same. And we all wish we had never known each other, but I'm thankful for these women that I stand up here with. I'm thankful to you all and to the Trump Administration.”