The mother of a teenager who was killed by MS-13 gang members is speaking out against critics who say she was exploited at the State of the Union address.
Evelyn Rodriguez and victims of gang violence across the U.S. were honored by President Trump on Tuesday night in front of a television audience of roughly 40 million people. Her presence before Congress, however, sparked critics of the president to cast her as a prop for political purposes.
Ms. Rodriguez, who still mourns the death of her 15-year-old daughter Kayla Cuevas, disagrees.
“It’s painful to lose a child to gang violence, and for another mother or father to go through this? They shouldn’t,” Ms. Rodriguez told a Fox affiliate in New York on Wednesday. “I can feel [my daughter’s] presence, and I can hear her say, ’Mom, keep up the fight.’”
Ms. Rodriguez said her experience while speaking with the president demonstrated that he sincerely cares about her loss.
“He was very sincere,” she told the station. “Me talking with him. You can see and hear in his voice that he does care.”
Mr. Trump invited the Long Island mother, along with Freddy Cuevas, Elizabeth Alvarado, and Robert Mickens to the State of the Union address. Kayla and her friend Nisa Mickens were both killed by MS-13 gang members in September 2016.
Six MS-13 gang members were charged with Kayla and Nisa’s murders.
“Everyone in this chamber is praying for you,” Mr. Trump said Tuesday. “Everyone in America is grieving for you. And 320 million hearts are breaking for you. We cannot imagine the depth of your sorrow, but we can make sure that other families never have to endure this pain.”
“Tonight, I am calling on the Congress to finally close the deadly loopholes that have allowed MS-13, and other criminals, to break into our country,” the president continued. “We have proposed new legislation that will fix our immigration laws, and support our ICE and Border Patrol Agents, so that this cannot ever happen again.”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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