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Pritzker acknowledges 'failures' in Sheridan Gorman's killing, Republican blame sanctuary laws
Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday acknowledged "real failures" in the nation’s immigration system when asked about his reaction to the killing of Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman last week, allegedly by an undocumented immigrant.
CHICAGO - Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday acknowledged "real failures" in the nation’s immigration system when asked about his reaction to the killing of Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman last week, allegedly by an undocumented immigrant.
Gorman, 18, was shot and killed last Thursday while walking with friends near Tobey Prinz Beach in Rogers Park, according to Chicago police. Jose Medina, 25, was arrested and charged over the weekend with first-degree murder, and other offenses, in connection with her killing.
Jose Medina (left) is charged with the murder of Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old Loyola University student. (Department of Homeland Security)
What they're saying:
The governor called the case a "terrible tragedy," when asked about it at an unrelated event on Monday. But he also pointed fingers at the Trump administration.
"I know that the Gorman family has suffered mightily," Pritzker said. "I agree. There have been real failures. Those failures, of course, extend beyond the borders of Illinois. There [are] national failures, a failure to have comprehensive immigration reform, a failure of the president to follow his own edict to go after the worst of the worst.
He added, "and in my view, we have a lot of work that we need to continue to do, but it is the job of the federal government to go after immigration enforcement, and it is the job of our local and state law enforcement to prosecute, or to catch violent criminals and prosecute them, and we should continue to do that, both on the state level and national level."
Also on Tuesday, Illinois state Republican lawmakers laid the blame for the killing solely at the feet of Pritzker and Democrats, claiming they've strengthened protections for undocumented immigrants, making such alleged crimes possible. They said the state should stop at nothing short of abolishing such sanctuary state protections.
"For years, Senate Republicans have warned that the sanctuary policies Gov. Pritzker and his allies have pushed and touted here in Illinois have and will continue to cost innocent Illinoisans their safety and, in some cases, even their lives," said State Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield). "Gov. Pritzker is failing miserably in that responsibility."
The backstory:
The killing of Gorman, who was studying at Loyola and is originally from the New York City area, has sparked national outrage and reignited the debate about immigration policy. The Trump administration has used the case to criticize the Biden administration for what it called its "open border policies."
Over the weekend, the Department of Homeland Security said ICE officially requested local police to keep Medina in custody after his arrest.
Medina was originally scheduled to show up for a detention hearing in Cook County court on Monday, but did not appear because he was hospitalized.
It’s unclear the exact legal mechanism by which Medina was allowed to remain in the country.
DHS said Medina was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol and released into the country in 2023 under the Biden administration. In June 2023, he was charged with stealing about $132 worth of merchandise from the Macy’s store in downtown Chicago, a misdemeanor offense, and was later released from jail, according to court records.
An arrest warrant was ordered for him in August 2023.
Under Illinois’ SAFE-T Act, people charged with lower-level offenses are typically not held in jail as they await trial, unless they pose a "real and present threat" to public safety. Those who are charged with serious offenses, like murder, are much more likely to be held in jail as they await trial.