Trump’s guest list suggests he will continue to challenge Washington

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s choice of guests for his first joint congressional address Tuesday suggests that he will continue to challenge the Washington establishment.

Three of eight announced White House guests allegedly have had family members killed by undocumented immigrants.

Jessica Davis and Susan Oliver were married to Detective Michael Davis and Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver, respectively, when the police officers were killed in the line of duty in Northern California in 2014. Authorities charged Enrique Monroy-Bracamonte, an undocumented immigrant who had been convicted on drug charges and deported to Mexico twice. While he has yet to stand trial, Monroy-Bracamonte has declared that he is guilty.

Jamiel Shaw Sr. is the father of Jamiel Shaw Jr., a Los Angeles high school football star who was killed execution style in 2008 by an undocumented immigrant who had been released from jail on a gun charge hours before the shooting. Shaw Sr. believes his son would be alive if Los Angeles police had used a database to identify gang members subject to deportation. Pedro Espinoza was convicted in the younger Shaw’s killing in 2012 and sentenced to death.

Maureen McCarthy Scalia, widow of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, also was in attendance. She recently attended the East Room ceremony at which Trump announced his pick of Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy created by Scalia’s death last year.

Other guests are noted for their ability to thrive in the face of diversity:

■ Denisha Merriweather is a graduate student who became the first member of her family to graduate from high school and college thanks to a Florida school voucher program.

■ Megan Crowley was diagnosed with Pompe disease, a neuromuscular disorder that was expected to destroy her young heart in a few years. Her father founded Novazyme Pharmaceuticals to develop a drug to treat children with the disease. Megan now is a 20-year-old sophomore at the University of Notre Dame.

■ Jessica Gregory, 18, became an accomplished martial artist in defiance of the debilitating birth defect spina bifida. She was a guest with her mother, Sheila.

Trump also honored Chief Petty Officer William “Ryan” Owens, who was killed in a raid in Yemen during his first days in office. Owens’ widow sat in the guest box with tears streaming down her face as the crowd stood and applauded at length.

Contact Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal.com or at 202-662-7391. Follow @DebraJSaunders on Twitter.