Loyola Student’s Killing Spurs Sanctuary Fight as Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Defends Welcoming Policies and ICE Limits After Alleged Shooting by Noncitizen Suspect
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Sheridan Gorman, an 18‑year‑old Loyola University Chicago freshman, was fatally shot near the Rogers Park pier on March 19; Chicago police arrested 25‑year‑old Jose Medina‑Medina, a Venezuelan national whom DHS says was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol in May 2023 and later arrested and released on a Chicago shoplifting charge, and prosecutors have charged him with first‑degree murder and related counts while ICE has lodged a detainer and he is being treated for tuberculosis. The killing has ignited a national fight over sanctuary policies — Gorman’s family and DHS blame policy failures for allowing the suspect to remain free and Republicans have seized on the case in Senate hearings, while Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has defended the city’s long‑standing welcoming ordinances and limits on cooperation with ICE and Gov. J.B. Pritzker acknowledged “real failures” but framed enforcement as primarily a federal responsibility.