SouthernWorldwide.com – The parents of Sheridan Gorman, a college freshman tragically killed in Chicago earlier this year, made a poignant appearance at a rally in New York hosted by President Donald Trump. They used the platform to implore leaders to oppose sanctuary policies, emphasizing that the critical mission of safeguarding children should transcend partisan divides.
President Trump introduced the Gorman family at Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York. Jessica Gorman, Sheridan’s mother, recounted how her daughter’s life was “stolen” by an individual who should never have been permitted to enter the United States.
“At every step, the system had an opportunity to intervene. At every step, it failed. And my daughter paid the ultimate price for those failures,” she stated with profound sorrow. “No mother should ever face the agonizing uncertainty of whether her child called out for her in their final moments. No mother should ever have to envision her baby left alone and bleeding on the cold pavement. And no family should ever be forced to bury a child because public officials neglected their duty to prioritize innocent American lives.”
Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old student at Loyola University Chicago, was fatally shot on March 19. She was strolling along a lakefront pier at Tobey Prinz Beach with a group of friends when they encountered a masked assailant concealed behind a lighthouse structure.
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Jose Medina, a 25-year-old undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, was apprehended the following day and subsequently charged with first-degree murder. He has entered a plea of not guilty.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that Medina had been released from custody on two separate occasions prior to the incident, despite an active Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer. According to DHS, U.S. Border Patrol had apprehended the suspect in 2023 before releasing him. Later that same year, he was arrested and again released after a shoplifting charge.
“This is the devastating consequence of failed policies on our family,” Tom Gorman, Sheridan’s father, said, his voice heavy with grief. “No family should be compelled to become unwilling experts in immigration failures, release policies, warrants, sanctuary laws, and enforcement breakdowns simply because their child was killed by someone who should not have been in the country and should not have been free.”
In a particularly distressing turn of events, mere days after Gorman’s death, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a vocal critic of Trump, unveiled a snowplow emblazoned with the slogan “Abolish ICE.” This action deeply angered the Gorman family.
“When they are naming trucks and engaging in laughter and jokes just days after our daughter was murdered, while we are in Chicago waiting to claim her body,” Jessica Gorman shared at the time with “The Story,” “it was beyond infuriating. I cannot adequately express the overwhelming vitriol I felt.”
During Friday’s rally, Tom Gorman expressed his gratitude to President Trump and voiced strong criticism towards leaders who actively oppose immigration enforcement measures.
“However, I genuinely do not comprehend why this crucial fight is perceived as belonging solely to one political party,” he asserted. “Protecting our citizens is not a matter of partisan politics; it is the fundamental and foremost responsibility of any government.”
A significant number of Democratic politicians have voiced their opposition to Trump’s deportation policies and his administration’s focus on undocumented immigrants. This stance persists even in instances where many of these individuals are accused of or have been convicted of committing violent crimes while residing in the United States.
Sheridan Gorman’s death has inflicted immense pain upon her family. However, the rally on Friday offered a measure of comfort to her sister, Madelon Gorman.
“I must say, you are incredibly entertaining,” she remarked, addressing President Trump. “My family has experienced more laughter and more smiles in the past hour than we have since March 19th,” she added, a faint glimmer of relief in her eyes.
