Trump Blames Biden’s Open Border and Pritzker’s Sanctuary Policies for Sheridan Gorman’s Murder

 

Quick Answer (Featured Snippet) On March 19, 2026, 18-year-old Loyola University freshman Sheridan Gorman was fatally shot near Chicago’s Rogers Park by Jose Medina-Medina, 25, a Venezuelan national who entered the U.S. illegally in May 2023 under Biden’s catch-and-release policy. He was released by Chicago in 2023 after a shoplifting arrest under Illinois sanctuary rules. President Trump blamed Biden’s open border policy and Governor Pritzker’s sanctuary policies for the killing.

 

Introduction: A Murder That Became a National Political Firestorm

A young woman came to Chicago to start college. She was walking with friends on a pier at night. She never made it home.

Sheridan Gorman was 18 years old — a freshman at Loyola University Chicago, originally from Yorktown Heights, New York. On the morning of March 19, 2026, a masked gunman approached her group near Tobey Prinz Beach in Rogers Park, opened fire as they ran, and killed her.

Within 72 hours, her death had become the epicenter of one of the most charged immigration debates in recent American political history. President Trump blamed Joe Biden’s open border. Republicans targeted Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. And the Gorman family demanded accountability — from everyone.

This article tells the full story: who Sheridan was, who the suspect is, what the policies say, what each political figure said, and what this tragedy reveals about America’s unresolved immigration crisis.

 

Table of Contents

• Who Was Sheridan Gorman?
• What Happened the Night of March 19, 2026?
• Who Is Jose Medina-Medina? Full Suspect History
• Trump’s Response: Blaming Biden’s Open Border
• How Pritzker’s Sanctuary Policies Came Under Fire
• The Illinois TRUST Act — What It Does and Why It Matters
• What the Gorman Family Said
• Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Response
• ICE’s Detainer Request Explained
• What Is Operation Midway Blitz?
• The Broader Immigration Debate: Facts and Statistics
• People Also Ask
• Key Takeaways and What Comes Next

 

Who Was Sheridan Gorman?

Sheridan Gorman was 18 years old. She grew up in Yorktown Heights, New York, a suburb north of New York City. She came to Chicago to study at Loyola University, a Jesuit institution on the city’s North Side lakefront. By all accounts, she was starting her life with excitement and promise.

After her death, tributes poured in from classmates, neighbors, and strangers. In Yorktown Heights, neighbors lit green porch lights in her honor. An online memorial and scholarship fundraiser raised nearly $150,000 in just days.

Her family described her as someone who had her whole life ahead of her. Her death, they said, was not a senseless tragedy. It was a preventable failure.

 

What Happened the Night of March 19, 2026?

Just after 1:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 19, 2026, Gorman was walking with a group of friends on the pier at Tobey Prinz Beach Park in Rogers Park — steps from the Loyola University campus.

A masked man wearing all-black clothing approached the group. He was armed with a handgun. As the group fled, he fired. Gorman was shot and pronounced dead at the scene. One of her friends who witnessed the shooting told the Chicago Sun-Times that it did not appear the group was intentionally targeted — the attack seemed random.

Police reviewed surveillance video from a nearby apartment building and identified a suspect. U.S. Customs and Border Protection assisted with the investigation, using facial recognition to identify the man in the video as Jose Medina-Medina. Officers arrested him on Friday, March 21. Inside his apartment, they recovered black clothing and a .40-caliber handgun matching the shell casing found at the scene.

 

Who Is Jose Medina-Medina? The Suspect’s Complete History

Jose G. Medina-Medina is a 25-year-old Venezuelan national. He was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, and illegal possession of a firearm. His documented history in the United States is at the center of the political debate:

 

Date	Event
May 9, 2023	Apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol. Released into the U.S. under the Biden administration’s catch-and-release approach.
June 19, 2023	Arrested in Chicago for shoplifting. Released without being handed over to ICE under Chicago sanctuary policies.
2023 – 2026	Remained in Chicago. Reportedly sheltered at a Chicago Park District field house near Leone Beach.
March 19, 2026	Allegedly shot and killed Sheridan Gorman at approximately 1:00 a.m. near Tobey Prinz Beach.
March 21, 2026	Arrested by Chicago police. ICE immediately lodges an arrest detainer.
March 24, 2026	Initial court hearing postponed due to hospitalization. Case ongoing in Cook County.

 

ICE has lodged an arrest detainer requesting that Illinois authorities hold Medina-Medina and not release him into the community under any circumstances pending the outcome of his immigration case.

 

Trump’s Response: Blaming Biden’s Open Border Policy

President Trump addressed reporters on Monday, March 23, 2026. He said he had been personally briefed on the case. He called the killing devastating and used it to make an argument he has made many times before: that Biden’s immigration policies created the conditions for this tragedy.

Trump’s Words (Monday, March 23, 2026) “This person came in through the open door policy of [former President] Joe Biden and we have others.” Trump called the killing devastating and argued it demonstrated the need for ramped-up immigration enforcement and mass deportations.

 

Trump later posted on Truth Social reinforcing this message. His administration framed the killing as another example of preventable violence caused by Biden’s catch-and-release approach to immigration.

The DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis added: “Sheridan Gorman had her whole life ahead of her before this cold-blooded killer decided to end her life. She was failed by open border policies and sanctuary politicians who released this illegal alien twice before he went on to commit this heinous murder.”

It is worth noting: Trump’s own administration is now two-plus years in. Critics point out that while Biden’s policies allowed Medina-Medina into the country in 2023, Trump’s administration had been in office since January 2025 and had not deported him despite aggressive enforcement rhetoric.

 

How Pritzker’s Sanctuary Policies Came Under Fire

The criticism of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker came fast and from multiple directions. The argument was straightforward: Illinois sanctuary policies prevented police from handing Medina-Medina over to ICE after his 2023 shoplifting arrest. If they had, he would have been deported. Gorman would be alive.

What Illinois Republicans Said

• State Sen. Steve McClure (R-Springfield): “For years, Senate Republicans have warned that sanctuary policies will cost innocent Illinoisans their safety and, in some cases, their lives. Gov. Pritzker is failing miserably.”
• Darren Bailey, Republican candidate for governor: “JB Pritzker’s soft on crime policies must come to an end. Illinois families deserve accountability.”
• State Republican caucus: Called for the outright abolition of Illinois sanctuary protections.

 

How Pritzker Responded

Pritzker’s initial response came through a spokesperson — not a personal statement. This alone drew criticism. He later held a news conference in Springfield on Tuesday, March 24.

Pritzker’s Response (March 24, 2026) “This has been a terrible tragedy. There have been real failures. Those failures extend beyond the borders of Illinois. They’re 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.” — Gov. JB Pritzker

 

Pritzker also accused the Trump administration of politicizing a heinous tragedy. This framing directly contradicted the Gorman family’s own message — and they said so publicly.

 

The Illinois TRUST Act — What It Says and Why It Matters

The centerpiece of the policy debate is a state law called the Illinois TRUST Act. Understanding it is essential to understanding this entire controversy.

What Is the Illinois TRUST Act? The TRUST Act generally prohibits Illinois police and law enforcement agencies from sharing information with federal immigration authorities (ICE) or detaining people for immigration violations — unless a federal criminal warrant has been issued. It was originally signed by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2017 and expanded under Gov. Pritzker.

 

Under this law, when Medina-Medina was arrested for shoplifting in June 2023, Chicago police were not legally required to notify ICE or honor a detainer. He was processed and released. ICE was not called.

 

Year / Event	Authority	Key Effect
Signed 2017	Gov. Bruce Rauner (R)	Bars local police from honoring ICE detainers without federal criminal warrant
Expanded 2019+	Gov. JB Pritzker (D)	Broader protections; increased limits on cooperation with ICE
ICE Impact (2026)	Acting Director Todd Lyons	1,768 criminal aliens released in IL since Jan 2025; 5 homicides linked

 

Supporters of the TRUST Act argue it builds trust between immigrant communities and police, making neighborhoods safer because immigrants are more willing to report crimes without fear of deportation. Opponents argue it creates a dangerous gap in enforcement — one that, in this case, allegedly cost an 18-year-old her life.

 

What the Gorman Family Said — And Why It Matters

The family’s public statements cut through the political noise with clarity and grief. They rejected the framing used by both Pritzker and Mayor Johnson that this was a senseless tragedy.

Gorman Family Statement “We are gravely disappointed by the policies and failures that allowed this individual to remain in a position to commit this crime. When systems fail — whether through release decisions, lack of coordination, or unwillingness to act — the consequences are not abstract. They are real. And in our case, they are permanent. Accountability must be complete.” — Gorman Family, March 2026

 

The family noted that neither Pritzker nor Johnson had personally reached out to them in the immediate days after the murder. On Wednesday, March 25, the family released a further statement criticizing both officials by name and calling on them to go beyond condolences and take concrete policy action.

Their attorney said the killing was not random misfortune. It was the direct result of systems choosing not to act — and that choice had a name.

 

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Response — What He Said and Chose to Emphasize

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson offered sincere condolences. He also made a political choice: he redirected much of his response toward gun trafficking from neighboring states.

Mayor Johnson (March 2026) “There’s no words that one could express that could properly console a family that lost their baby. You know what the bigger threat to our public safety is? It’s illegal weapons that are being trafficked from bordering states that voted for Donald Trump.” — Mayor Brandon Johnson

 

Johnson also called for Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform. He did not personally contact the Gorman family in the days immediately following the killing.

The mayor’s pivot to gun trafficking is a legitimate policy point — Chicago’s gun violence problem is real and documented. But critics across the political spectrum noted that the framing felt misplaced in the immediate aftermath of a murder allegedly committed by someone who should have been deported years earlier.

 

ICE’s Detainer Request — What It Means in Plain English

Immediately after Medina-Medina’s arrest, the Department of Homeland Security announced that ICE had lodged an arrest detainer. Here is what that means in practice.

What Is an ICE Detainer? An ICE detainer (Form I-247) is a written request from ICE asking local law enforcement to hold a person for up to 48 additional hours beyond their scheduled release so that ICE agents can take custody for immigration enforcement. Under the Illinois TRUST Act, state and local agencies are not required to comply unless a federal criminal warrant exists.

 

ICE Director Todd Lyons had previously written to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul in December 2025, urging the state to honor ICE detainers for more than 4,000 criminal illegal aliens in custody — including murderers, sexual predators, and those charged with weapons offenses. That letter did not result in a policy change.

According to the Trump administration, Illinois’s refusal to honor detainers has resulted in the release of 1,768 criminal illegal aliens since January 2025 — with documented consequences including five homicides, 141 assaults, 23 burglaries, 15 weapons crimes, and 10 sexual predatory offenses.

 

What Is Operation Midway Blitz?

Gorman’s murder did not occur in isolation. The Trump administration had already been running an aggressive immigration enforcement campaign in Chicago for months — Operation Midway Blitz.

Launched in September 2025, the operation was dedicated to Katie Abraham — a 20-year-old Illinois woman killed in January 2025 in a drunk-driving crash allegedly caused by a previously deported undocumented immigrant from Guatemala.

Over two and a half months, hundreds of federal agents arrested thousands of people across Chicago and Illinois. However, reports indicated the majority of those arrested had no criminal records — raising questions about whether the operation was the targeted crackdown on dangerous criminals the administration had promised.

Notably, Katie Abraham’s own mother publicly objected to the administration using her daughter’s name for the operation. She wrote an op-ed in fall 2025 asking the Trump administration to stop.

Now the Gorman case gives the administration a new focal point. Whether a new dedicated operation follows remains to be seen.

 

The Broader Immigration Debate: Key Facts and Statistics

No single case tells the whole story of immigration policy in America. Here is the wider factual context:

 

Issue	Key Data Point	Context / Note
ICE Detainer Refusals (IL)	1,768 criminal aliens released since Jan 2025	5 homicides, 141 assaults linked (per ICE)
Crime Rates Research	Studies show undocumented immigrants commit crimes at lower overall rates than native-born citizens	Debate focuses on specific subset with prior criminal records
Biden Border Policy	Medina-Medina released May 2023 under catch-and-release	Missed immigration hearings; no follow-up deportation
2024 Border Legislation	Bipartisan bill never passed; blocked in Congress	Both parties blamed each other; Trump took credit for later border control
Operation Midway Blitz	Thousands arrested in Chicago, Sept-Nov 2025	Majority had no criminal records per reporting

 

It is important to be accurate here. Research consistently finds that undocumented immigrants as a group are not more crime-prone than native-born citizens. The policy debate — and this case — centers on a specific subset: individuals with prior criminal histories who were not removed when the system had the opportunity. Both sides of the debate agree that is a problem. They disagree on cause and solution.

 

People Also Ask: Key Questions Answered

Who was Sheridan Gorman?

Sheridan Gorman was an 18-year-old freshman at Loyola University Chicago, originally from Yorktown Heights, New York. She was fatally shot near the university’s Rogers Park campus at approximately 1:00 a.m. on March 19, 2026, while walking with friends on a pier at Tobey Prinz Beach Park.

Who is accused of killing Sheridan Gorman?

Jose G. Medina-Medina, 25, a Venezuelan national who entered the U.S. illegally in May 2023. He was apprehended by Border Patrol and released under the Biden administration, then arrested for shoplifting in Chicago in June 2023 and released again without being turned over to ICE. He faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, and illegal gun possession.

Why did Trump blame Biden for Sheridan Gorman’s death?

Trump argued that Biden’s catch-and-release immigration policy allowed Medina-Medina to enter the U.S. in 2023 and remain in the country. Under that policy, migrants apprehended at the border were often released pending immigration hearings that many never attended. Trump said this open door directly enabled the killing.

What are sanctuary policies and how did they affect this case?

Sanctuary policies limit cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities. Illinois’s TRUST Act bars police from honoring ICE detainers absent a federal criminal warrant. When Medina-Medina was arrested for shoplifting in Chicago in 2023, police were not required to notify ICE. He was released — and was never deported.

What did Governor Pritzker say about the killing?

Pritzker acknowledged real failures but called them national failures in immigration reform, not solely Illinois failures. He accused the Trump administration of politicizing the tragedy. His initial response came through a spokesperson rather than a personal statement, drawing criticism from the Gorman family.

Did the Gorman family blame Pritzker and Johnson?

Yes. The family released a statement saying they were gravely disappointed by the policies and failures that allowed Medina-Medina to remain free. They also explicitly criticized both Mayor Johnson and Governor Pritzker by name, saying their response did not go far enough and that accountability must be complete.

What is a catch-and-release policy in immigration?

Catch-and-release refers to a practice in which Border Patrol agents apprehend migrants crossing illegally, then release them into the U.S. with a notice to appear at an immigration hearing. Critics say many migrants never show up for these hearings, effectively remaining in the country indefinitely. The Trump administration ended this practice and replaced it with detention and removal policies.

 

Key Takeaways

• Sheridan Gorman, 18, was fatally shot near the Loyola University campus on March 19, 2026.
• Suspect Jose Medina-Medina entered the U.S. illegally in 2023 under Biden and was released twice without deportation.
• Trump blamed Biden’s open border policy; Republicans targeted Pritzker’s sanctuary policies and the Illinois TRUST Act.
• Pritzker acknowledged failures but deflected to national immigration reform and accused Trump of politicizing grief.
• The Gorman family rejected the senseless tragedy framing and demanded direct accountability from Pritzker and Johnson.
• ICE has lodged a detainer; the criminal case is ongoing in Cook County.
• The debate exposes a genuine policy gap: what happens to undocumented individuals with criminal records when sanctuary laws limit local-federal cooperation?

 

What to Watch Next

1. Criminal Trial — Medina-Medina faces first-degree murder charges in Cook County. A trial date has not been set.
2. ICE Detainer Compliance — Will Illinois honor the detainer or resist federal custody?
3. Legislative Response — State Republicans are pushing to abolish sanctuary protections. Watch the Illinois legislature.
4. Pritzker’s Political Future — With 2028 presidential ambitions reportedly in play, watch how Pritzker repositions.
5. Senate Testimony — Joe Abraham, whose daughter Katie was killed under similar circumstances, was scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on March 26, 2026.