These Texans will sit with the first lady during President Trump's address
US President Donald Trump speaks during an investment announcement in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, March 3, 2025. Photographer: Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images
WASHINGTON - Three Texans will join President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for the president's address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night.
The three were invited, along with 12 others, to sit with the first lady to highlight the president's accomplishments during the first six weeks of his second term.
What we know:
The administration picked 15 guests to sit with the first lady during Tuesday night's speech.
Three Texans, two meant to bring attention to Donald Trump's border policies and one that highlights a Melania Trump initiative, will be in attendance.
Elliston Berry
Elliston Berry - Aledo, Texas
Elliston Berry of Aledo was 14 years old when a classmate took an image off social media and used a computer program to create fake naked photos of her.
Berry joined a roundtable discussion in DC with First Lady Melania Trump to share her story and support for the Take It Down Act filed by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
The teen says she and her mother tried to get the image of her removed for months.
Big picture view:
The Take it Down Act is legislation introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas that makes it unlawful to knowingly publish "non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), including "digital forgeries" created with AI software (or deepfake pornography), and require social media and similar websites to have in place procedures to remove such content upon notification from a victim," according to a 2024 release from Cruz’s office.
AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 25: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, listens as Alexis Nungaray speaks at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on October 25, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Ima
Alexis Nungaray - Houston
Alexis Nungaray is the mother of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungary.
The backstory:
In June 2024, Jocelyn's body was found in a Houston creek. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted, police reported.
SUGGESTED: Jocelyn Nungaray case: Death penalty to be sought against murder suspects, DA says
Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, are currently charged with capital murder in Nungaray's death. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for the two, a move Nungaray’s parents and family are supportive of, according to former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.
Both Pena and Rangel are in jail on $10 million bond each for the girl's death.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the two men entered the U.S. illegally. The agency says Martinez was detained by border patrol agents in El Paso on March 14 and released the same day. Similarly, Pena was apprehended and released on May 28.
Why you should care:
Alexis Nungaray has been advocating for the passing of the Justice for Jocelyn Act. The act would keep detained immigrants in custody while their cases are proceeding. The proposal is backed by Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz.
Roberto Ortiz - Weslaco, Texas
Roberto Ortiz is a U.S. Navy and California State Guard veteran.
He currently works as a border patrol agent near the Rio Grande.
A release from the Trump administration says Ortiz has been shot at by cartel members on multiple occasions during his time as a border patrol agent.
Big picture view:
Ortiz's inclusion highlights Trump's border security initiatives. Security along the border and mass deportations of people who entered the United States illegally were key messages during Trump's campaign.
Other invited guests
Twelve others will also be seated with the first lady on Tuesday night.
The list includes Allyson and Lauren Phillips, the mother and sister of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who went out for a run in February 2024 and was killed by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan national in the U.S. illegally. Ibarra was found guilty in November and sentenced to life without parole.
Under the Laken Riley Act, federal officials are required to detain any immigrant arrested or charged with crimes like theft or assaulting a police officer, or offenses that injure or kill someone.
The law was the first signed by Trump during his second term.
Also in attendance will be Marc Fogel, who was released from Russian prison, and his 95-year-old mother.
Two guests will highlight Trump's moves to ban gender-affirming care and ban transgender athletes in women's sports.
January Littlejohn sued a Florida school board claiming her daughter's middle school "socially transitioned her daughter to a different sexual identity."
Payton McNabb has been an outspoken opponent of allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sports after she was spiked in the face during a volleyball match by a transgender athlete on the other team.
Other guests include the family of the man killed during an assassination attempt on the president during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania and the wife of a New York police officer who was killed during a traffic stop.
A steelworker from Alabama who fosters children and helped organize others to respond to natural disasters and a former foster child who was a recipient of a scholarship from the first lady's Be Best foundation round out the announced guests.
Texas Congressional guests
Members of Congress are allowed to bring guests to joint sessions such as Tuesday night's speech.
Rep. Julie Johnson (D-Farmer's Branch) is bringing Prism Health North Texas CEO Dr. John Carlo.
"Since taking office, Trump has weakened our healthcare system by cutting millions in funding for cancer research, hospital support, and clinical trials that offer hope to Texans in need," Johnson said. "Meanwhile, his administration and Republicans in Congress are pushing a budget that would cut Medicaid and leave over 100,000 of my neighbors without health insurance."
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) invited Ma Hila's Heart Children's Cancer Foundation President and CEO Jason Massiette to raise awareness for continued funding of cancer research and affordable healthcare.
"Ma Hila’s Heart is a lifeline for young cancer patients and their families in South Texas," Castro said. "As the Trump administration pushes for major cuts to Medicaid and cancer research funding, it’s important to consider what our country stands to lose – including better prevention and detection, innovative treatments and cures, and hope for a cancer-free future."
Sen. John Cornyn selected Texas Republican Party Chair Abraham George as his guest for the address.
The senator took to social media platform X to say he was looking forward to hearing Trump's vision for the future.
"Like me, the Chairman is an unwavering supporter of President Trump’s agenda [and] I am glad to call him a friend," Cornyn said.
What's next:
Trump is expected to outline his domestic and foreign policy plans with the Department of Government Efficiency expected to play a big role in the speech.
The president is scheduled to speak before all members of Congress on Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT.
The Source: Information on the first lady's guests for the president's address comes from a White House release. Information on Alexis Nungaray comes from reporting by FOX 26 in Houston. Information on Elliston Berry comes from previous FOX 4 reporting. Information on the other guests comes from a White House release and past Fox News reporting.