Secretary Noem Vows Support for Angel Families During Visit to San Bernardino Home of Agnes Gibboney
Secretary Kristi Noem visited the San Bernardino home of Agnes Gibboney yesterday, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to “Angel families”—a term used to describe the relatives of victims killed by undocumented immigrants. The visit highlighted the tragic 2002 murder of Gibboney’s son, Ronald Da Silva, and underscored the administration’s intensified focus on border enforcement and victims’ rights.
“This is why we fight,” Secretary Noem stated following the meeting, sharing a photograph of the visit on social media. “We will always stand with Ronald, Agnes and every Angel family.”
The Tragedy Behind the Visit
The meeting drew attention to the decades-long advocacy of Agnes Gibboney, whose 29-year-old son, Ronald Da Silva, was shot and killed in his driveway in El Monte, California, on April 27, 2002. The perpetrator, Luis Gonzalez, was identified as a known gang member and a Mexican national who was in the country illegally at the time of the murder. Gonzalez had been previously deported but returned to the U.S. prior to the killing.
For Gibboney, a legal immigrant who escaped communist Hungary and underwent a 13-year vetting process to become a U.S. citizen, her son’s death has become a symbol of what she describes as a systemic failure of immigration enforcement. “I did it the right way,” Gibboney has frequently stated in public testimonies, contrasting her family’s legal path to citizenship with the status of her son’s killer.
A “Deep Search” into Policy and Precedent
The visit serves as a focal point for the administration’s broader critique of “sanctuary” policies—jurisdictions that limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Critics of these policies, including the Gibboney family, argue that they prioritize the protection of undocumented individuals over the safety of citizens and legal residents. They point to cases like Da Silva’s as evidence that a lack of deportation enforcement for criminal offenders leads to preventable violent crimes.
Data regarding the recidivism rates of previously deported individuals remains a central point of contention in this debate. Proponents of stricter enforcement cite federal reports indicating a significant percentage of federal prosecutions involve individuals with prior deportations, while opponents argue that crime rates among immigrants—both legal and undocumented—are generally lower than those of native-born citizens.
Barriers and Opposition
The administration’s stance faces significant political and legal objections. Advocacy groups for immigrant rights argue that highlighting crimes committed by undocumented individuals unfairly demonizes a large population based on the actions of a few. They contend that terms like “Angel families” are politicized tools used to justify harsh border measures that may violate human rights or asylum laws.
Furthermore, state-level legislation in California, such as the California Values Act (SB 54), explicitly restricts state and local resources from being used for federal immigration enforcement. This creates a direct jurisdictional conflict, one that Gibboney has publicly challenged, arguing that such laws prevented her son’s killer from being properly monitored or detained prior to the murder.
A Renewed Pledge
Secretary Noem’s presence in San Bernardino signals a continued push to elevate the stories of Angel families in the national discourse. By physically visiting the Gibboney home, the administration aims to personalize the immigration debate, moving it from abstract policy statistics to the tangible grief of a mother who lost her only son.
“We will never stop fighting for them,” the Secretary’s message concluded, promising that the memory of victims like Ronald Da Silva will drive future policy decisions.
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