The Corcorans, an Angel family, have a message for the leaders of congressional Democrats that was not heard when they were refused meetings with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on January 15.

D.J., Wendy, and their daughter Avery Corcoran voiced their messages to Pelosi and Schumer in an interview with Breitbart News the day after they were refused meetings on Capitol Hill. They spoke of Pierce Corcoran, 22, D.J. and Wendy’s son and Avery’s brother. Pierce was killed December 29 when, according to authorities, his vehicle was struck head-on by an illegal alien driving without a license: 

“We tried to go and meet with [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi, and we tried to meet with [Senate Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer, and, of course, they, they either weren’t there or their pages, their attendants out front, said that they weren’t. They were behind their walls, ironically,” Angel dad D.J. Corcoran said of going to Capitol Hill on January 15 with other Angel families. Though the families walked into Pelosi and Schumer’s offices, neither lawmaker met with them.

“Coming to Washington felt like we were being led by him, to speak for him,” said Wendy Corcoran, who said her son’s death is still “becoming a new reality” for the family “every day.”

“Just wanted to speak from the heart. … We just wanted them to listen, you know, to the human aspect of it and our side of it as victims,” Angel sister Avery Corcoran said of trying to meet with Pelosi and Schumer.

Angel dad D.J. Corcoran wanted to sit with top Democrat leaders Schumer and Pelosi to “try to understand where they’re coming from.” He said his message to them would be, “Please, from our perspective, of a victim, is put your differences aside, your political differences aside, and look at this as a whole. We’re a country.” He acknowledged that there are differences between “red” and “blue” but said, “Put those differences aside and protect your people.”

“Fences aren’t put up because you hate the people that are outside the fence; it’s because you love the people inside, and you try to protect them,” said D.J.

Avery said she would tell Pelosi, “My parents have lost a son, I’ve lost a brother. … So many of his friends have lost their best friend.” She said she would want to approach Pelosi from a “human standpoint” because she wants to “understand why there’s so much opposition toward the wall.” She said the wall is for everyone. “It’s for the American people.”

As of Friday, the government entered day 35 of a partial shutdown. Democrat leadership has refused to negotiate partial funding for border security or a border barrier for a segment of the U.S. southern border. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he could declare a state of emergency due to the massive increase in illegal aliens crossing the border but that he would rather see funding go through the congressional process.

Michelle Moons is a White House Correspondent for Breitbart News — follow on Twitter @MichelleDiana and Facebook.