The White House is releasing a heartfelt message to the mother of a son killed by an illegal alien
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The White House says “no one” will change the Trump administration's immigration enforcement agenda in response to Angel Mom Angie Morfin's plea.
Morfin, whose 13-year-old son, Ruben, was killed by a member of an illegal gang, issued a heartfelt plea to authorities to “make sure no other mother has to get the call I got.” This came as the head of Homeland Security Sen. Markwayne Mullin is entering the Senate confirmation process and is expected to take over the agency at the end of the month.
Morfin stressed that he hopes Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, “will continue to listen to Angel Families and stand with us.”
In response, Lauren Bis, Acting Secretary of DHS, told Fox News Digital that “our hearts go out to the families and victims of illegal crimes who have been completely abandoned and ignored by sanctuary state politicians.”
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The mother of Ruben Morfin (right), who was killed by an illegal immigrant, asked the head of DHS, Sen. Markwayne Mullin to “make sure no other mother has to get the call I got.” (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Courtesy of American Border Story)
Bis wrote in an emailed statement that “THIS is why we do what we do.” He noted that DHS is currently “targeting dangerous criminals living in other countries to prevent another avoidable tragedy.”
According to Bis, approximately 70% of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests are of illegal immigrants charged or convicted of criminal offenses in the US.
“Under President Trump's leadership,” Bis continued, “DHS is prioritizing the lives of innocent Americans victimized by illegal immigrants.”
Meanwhile, Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement that “no one is changing the Administration's immigration enforcement agenda.”
Jackson said “President Donald Trump's top priority has always been the deportation of illegal criminals who pose a threat to American communities.”
He stressed that “due to President Trump's strict policies to enforce immigration, about 3 million illegal people have left the United States, either by forced deportation or self-deportation, without illegally entering the most secure border in the history of the US for nine straight months.”
In a recent interview with American Border Story, shared exclusively with Fox News Digital, Morfin said his family is still devastated decades after losing his son, Ruben.
“I am crying for him today as if it was just yesterday,” she said.
In the winter of 1990, Ruben, a Spanish teenager who was not in a gang, was chased and shot in the head by Mexican national Ezequiel Mariscal in Salinas, California. Morfin said he sent Ruben to live with his grandparents during the holidays because of concerns about gangs in their area.
Then one night, just after midnight, Morfin said he got a phone call.
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Chairman Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky speaks like Sen. Markwayne Mullin, President Donald Trump's nominee for Homeland Security secretary, testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, March 18, 2026. (REUTERS/Evan Vucci | Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)
“I picked up the phone, and I heard my mother yelling, 'They shot Nino, they shot Nino.' I knew it was my child because that is what we call him because he is small,” she said.
Since losing his son, Morfin said he has fought for 34 years “to keep his memory alive, so he didn't die in vain.” She emphasized that she hopes Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, “will continue to listen to Angel Families and stand with us as we fight to make sure no other mother has to get the call I got.”
Mullin currently faces a tough Senate confirmation process, where several Democrats, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has expressed serious doubts about his leadership. Meanwhile, Mullin said in his opening statement that “as Secretary of the Homeland, I will be protecting everyone … just as I would in my own backyard in Oklahoma.”
“The truth is that I have a job to do,” added Mullin. “It's bigger than the partisan differences we have, it's bigger than the political differences we have.”
In response to Morfin's request before the Senate's confirmation vote, Mullin's Senate office transferred Fox News Digital to the White House.
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The gun of Ruben's killer, illegal Mexican alien and Posole gang member, Ezequiel Mariscal. (Courtesy of American Border Story)
Nicole Kiprilov, executive director of American Border Story, an advocacy group for victims of immigration crime, told Fox News Digital that like DHS, “Our hearts go out to Angie Morfin and the entire Angel Family who are living with an unprecedented loss.”
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Kiprilov said “we appreciate the leadership of DHS and their commitment to standing with these families and preventing future tragedies,” noting that “just last week, we worked with ICE, DHS, and members of Congress to bring Angel Families to the table, to ensure their voices are heard and their stories drive real policy change.”
“This is the kind of leadership that is needed to ensure that no family will be ignored again,” said Kiprilov.
