Every mother carries the same instinct, which is to protect her child at all costs. But what happens when the very government entrusted with protecting our communities chooses politics over safety? That is the reality for “angel moms,” mothers who lost their children to crimes committed by illegal immigrants. Their grief is unimaginable, and their stories reveal a devastating truth: Failed border policies have life-or-death consequences for American families.

Through my work with victims’ rights advocacy, I have sat with these mothers and listened as they relive the worst day of their lives. The phone call all moms wish never comes, came for them all—the moment they realized their child was never coming home. Their stories are seared into my memory because they underscore what the Biden administration wanted to ignore: Open borders create collateral damage measured in shattered families.

These shattered families, in their efforts to turn their deep grief into purpose, have made extraordinary progress in ensuring that these atrocities never happen again. From walking the halls of Congress and pushing for legislation in their home states, to working with Independent Women’s Features and The American Border Story to launch the new series “Collateral Damage: Voices of Angel Moms,” angel families are relentless in their pursuit of justice. 

Angel Moms across this country have created a platform to tell their gut-wrenching, devastating stories. It’s not easy for them to speak, which is why their voices are so powerful. Every interview reopens a wound, but they do it anyway because they know silence is not the answer. They want the American people to understand that behind every statistic about the victims of illegal immigration is a life stolen, a future erased, and a family forever broken.

No one should ever have to sit in these brave moms’ chairs and tell these devastating stories. What’s worse is that these tragedies were preventable.

Maria Vega’s son, Harvey, was a border patrol agent and a father of two young children. He was gunned down by an illegal alien who never should have been in this country. In one instant, her grandchildren lost their dad, she lost her son, and America lost a man who had dedicated his life to service. Maria’s words, “Had our immigration laws been enforced, my son would be here,” are not hyperbole. They are a fact.

Anne Fundner’s son Weston’s life was cut short by Biden’s disastrous open border policies that allowed poisonous fentanyl to flow freely into our country. Anne describes the silence in her home now, the birthdays that will never be celebrated, and the grandchildren she will never meet. 

These are not isolated tragedies. They are part of a broader pattern of preventable loss, tied directly to the Biden-Harris administration’s refusal to enforce immigration laws.

The emotional weight of these stories is undeniable. But policy data confirms what angel moms already know. During the Biden years, close to 7 million more illegal immigrants were brought into this country, and that only accounts for the numbers that were tracked. The real numbers, and the real impact, have been much greater. The entries were part of a sweeping border crisis enabled by lax enforcement and policy choices that prioritized criminals over the American people. What we saw was not a fringe issue within the previous administration; it was orchestrated and enabled by decision-makers across multiple agencies.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) estimates that illegal immigration costs U.S. taxpayers $163 billion annually, not just in social services and education, but also in law enforcement and incarceration. Yet, the real toll is not measured in dollars. It is measured in lives like Harvey Vega’s, extinguished because policymakers and the former administration chose leniency over law.

The consequences ripple outward. Communities near the southern border, including our ranchers and farmers, face cartel violence, drug smuggling, and devastating property crimes at levels unseen. I’ve spent months talking to residents of these border communities, and there are no words to describe what these Americans have gone through. Pain, hardship, property destruction, crime, and safety concerns are just the tip of the iceberg.

Fentanyl, much of it trafficked across the border, is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 45. To someone like Anne Fundner, who lost her son to fentanyl, the numbers represent a piece of her heart forever ripped out.  

Since taking office in January 2025, the Trump administration has moved at historic speed to reverse weak border enforcement. Under Executive Order 14165, “Securing Our Borders,” the administration has directed the construction and deployment of physical barriers and committed to increasing personnel and technology along the southern border. They have also ordered the end of “catch-and-release,” mandating that aliens apprehended entering or remaining in violation of federal law be detained and removed promptly. 

The “Remain in Mexico” policy has been reinstated, requiring many asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their U.S. proceedings move forward. The administration has also ended categorical parole programs, including the parole system for illegal immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and terminated the CBP One application program that previously enabled illegal immigrants to schedule appointments for entry or asylum. This was a program, frequently exploited and used as a tool by former Border Czar Kamala Harris, that scaled illegal immigration to extremely high numbers.

These policy changes, and more, have led to a 99.99% decline in border crossings and expedited deportations, all working to ensure that this country doesn’t see another victim. These policy changes represent a fundamental shift in how the federal government treats border security—enforcement restored as law, deterrence prioritized over leniency, and removal reinstated as a central component of policy. The message of the Trump administration is clear: Violations will not go unchallenged, and illegal entry will carry consequences.

For angel moms, this is not about partisanship. It’s not about politics. It’s about survival. There is nothing that can bring their children back. But their relentless advocacy can prevent other mothers from standing at a grave site, wondering why their government, the very people they put their trust in, failed them.

These women speak courageously because they know what’s at stake. They want lawmakers to understand that border security is not just a policy debate. It is about who lives safely in this country, and who doesn’t. It is about whether the American Dream is protected or completely shattered and destroyed, in the most brutal, vicious way imaginable.

With the docuseries “Collateral Damage: Voices of Angel Moms,” angel families are sending a very clear message that we refuse to let people look away. We are putting names and faces to the fallout of reckless border policies. We are reminded that behind every statistic about illegal immigration is a grieving family, forever shattered.

The border is more secure today than it has ever been, but for Angel Moms, it is too little, too late. Their children will never be brought back. Their courage now is to ensure that no other mother endures the same preventable heartbreak.

By amplifying their voices, we honor their loss and we recommit to building a nation where border security is not negotiable, but absolutely fundamental to protecting American families. Because no mother in this country should ever have to say: “My child would still be alive if only the law had been enforced.”