WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) introduced new legislation that would create a permanent memorial in the nation's capital honoring Americans who lost their lives due to illegal immigration and fentanyl.
The bill, called the American Border Story Memorial Act, was announced alongside families who have lost loved ones, often called "Angel families," during what is typically a joyful time of year.
"It was so beautiful to have all these angel families here," Hamadeh said in an exclusive interview with Cactus Politics. "It was really sad because it's Christmas season and, you know, they're missing a part of their family at their tables."
The congressman praised the families' courage in coming to Capitol Hill despite their grief. "Some of them, you know, their children died this year, and they're here on Capitol Hill. Some of them, you know, 20 years ago," he explained.
The Purpose
According to Hamadeh, the memorial serves multiple purposes. It would honor victims while also sending a message to lawmakers about the real-world consequences of border policy decisions.
"For me, having a memorial for the victims of illegal immigration and the fentanyl in Washington, D.C., is a good way to highlight and to honor the victims who were killed unnecessarily," Hamadeh stated. "A way that we can shame the politicians every single day that they have to walk by this memorial to understand what the consequences are of their inaction," he added.
The congressman didn't hold back in criticizing the Biden administration's border policies, calling the situation "intentional."
"We all know it was intentional under Joe Biden when you had tens of millions of illegal immigrants come into our country," Hamadeh argued, sharing evidence of the rapid change seen after President Donald Trump took office. "Within a matter of two weeks, President Trump was able to fix it. Two weeks, we had 90% reduction of border crossings. Within a few months, it was 99.9% reduction of people crossing our southern border."
Hamadeh emphasized that the problem "was entirely fixable without the legislation."
Looking Forward
While thanking President Trump for what he called swift action on border security, Hamadeh acknowledged the challenges that remain.
"Unfortunately, we have to deal with the consequences of that many people coming in. And they're doing the best they can to get rid of, especially the most violent ones out now, but it's going to take a while," he said.
The proposed memorial would be built without using taxpayer money. Instead, a nonprofit organization called The American Border Story (TABS) would fund and establish it, in compliance with all requirements of the Commemorative Works Act.
The ten additional congressmen who signed were Congressmen August Pfluger (R-TX), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Tony Gonzales (R-TX), Troy E. Nehls (R-TX), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Brian Babin (R-TX), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Wesley Hunt (R-TX), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), and Brandon Gill (R-TX).
Several Angel family members attended the announcement, including Mary Ann Mendoza, whose son, Sgt. Brandon Mendoza, was killed, and Agnes Judit Gibboney lost her son, Ronald Da Silva.
Other parents who lost children also shared their experiences during the emotional event, and the families spoke about what this memorial would mean to them, especially during the holiday season when the absence of their loved ones feels particularly painful.
