Secretary Noem Visits Angel Mom Agnes Gibboney in San Bernardino, Reaffirming Hardline Stance on Immigration Enforcement
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem traveled to San Bernardino, California, yesterday to meet with Agnes Gibboney, a prominent voice within the “Angel Families” movement. The visit highlights the administration’s continued focus on victims of crimes committed by individuals present in the United States illegally.
The meeting centered on the legacy of Gibboney’s son, Ronald da Silva. In 2002, da Silva was shot and killed in his driveway in El Monte, California, by a gang member from Mexico who was in the country illegally. The perpetrator had been previously deported but returned to the U.S. prior to the murder. Since that tragedy, Gibboney has become a vocal advocate for stricter border policies, frequently sharing her story to demand systemic changes in how the U.S. handles criminal deportations.
“This is why we fight,” Secretary Noem stated following the visit, pledging that the administration “will always stand with Ronald, Agnes, and every Angel family.” The term “Angel Families” gained national prominence during recent political cycles to describe the relatives of victims killed by undocumented immigrants. For the Department of Homeland Security, the visit serves as a symbolic reinforcement of current directives to prioritize the detention and removal of non-citizens with criminal records.
However, the focus on individual cases of violence to drive federal immigration policy remains a subject of intense national debate. While the grief of families like Gibboney’s is undeniable, critics and immigration advocacy groups argue that anecdotal evidence is often used to characterize the entire undocumented population as dangerous.
Criminologists and sociologists frequently cite comprehensive studies—such as research published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and the Cato Institute—which suggest that undocumented immigrants generally have lower felony arrest and conviction rates than native-born U.S. citizens. Opponents of the administration’s approach argue that emphasizing these specific tragedies can lead to the broad stigmatization of immigrant communities, potentially overshadowing the humanitarian aspects of migration and the economic contributions of foreign-born workers.
Despite these objections, Secretary Noem’s visit to San Bernardino signals that the administration intends to keep the experiences of crime victims at the forefront of its immigration enforcement strategy. By meeting directly with families affected by such violence, the Secretary is doubling down on the narrative that border security is inextricably directly to public safety in American communities.
