President Trump and the families of people killed by the actions of illegal immigrants on Friday stressed that they are permanently separated from their loved ones, unlike some illegal immigrant families who are currently facing temporary separation at the border.
Laura Wilkerson, a woman whose 18-year-old son was tortured and killed by illegal immigrants, said she wasn’t “lucky enough to be separated” from her son Josh “for five days or 10 days.”
“We’re separated permanently,” Wilkerson said at a White House event.
She was one of 15 people invited by Trump to share stories on Friday about how they’ve been impacted by violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants. Trump first began working with these so-called “Angel Families” during his presidential campaign.
“None of our kids had a minute to say goodbye,” Wilkerson said. “Anytime we want to see or be close to our kids, we go to the cemetery because that’s where they are. We can never speak to them, we can’t Skype with them. You guys know the permanent separation… It’s permanent.”
“This is permanent separation,” said Steve Ronnenbeck, whose 21-year-old son Grant was shot dead by an illegal immigrant.
“Our separation, like everyone has said, is permanent. My life has been devastated, so has my daughter’s family and friends,” said Michelle Wilson-Root, who lost her 21-year-old daughter Sarah in a drunk driving accident, after a man who entered the U.S. illegally was released from custody as an Unaccompanied Alien Child (UAC).
Trump’s invitation to the families comes as his administration continues to face criticism for separating migrant families at the border after they arrive in the U.S. illegally. The president signed an executive order to end the practice earlier this week, but thousands of children remain in detention facilities without their parents.
It is unclear how long it will take to reunite some parents facing criminal prosecution for illegal entry with their children.
Trump has repeatedly harped on the media for its coverage of family separation, accusing reporters of spreading lies about the policy and his administration’s agenda.
The president told reporters last week he “hates” seeing photographs of children who have been separated from their parents, while his wife Melania traveled to McAllen, Texas, on Thursday to evaluate the situation herself and meet with border patrol officers.
“It’s the media that won’t share it with other people,” Wilkerson said Friday, claiming little coverage has been paid to American families who have lost loved ones at the hands of illegal immigrants.
