Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez slammed Illinois Governor JB Pritzker on Wednesday for attributing the murder of Sheridan Gorman, a Loyola University student, to former President Donald Trump's immigration policies. Lopez argued that the blame should instead fall on the Biden-Harris administration, which released the alleged perpetrator, Jose Medina-Medina, a Venezuelan national, twice in 2023.
Failed Vetting and Policy Accountability
Lopez criticized the Biden administration for its lax vetting process, which he claims led to the release of dangerous individuals into the U.S. "If you’re going to blame the federal government, then blame it where this problem began, which was under the Biden-Harris Administration that allowed 15 million people... to come through our southern border, manipulate asylum, be poorly vetted, and then scattered to the seven winds of the United States," Lopez stated. He further emphasized that Chicago’s refusal to collaborate with federal immigration enforcement has exacerbated the issue.
"There are 2,000 priority targets in the city of Chicago right now who we know are dangers, courtesy of the Biden-Harris Administration that vetted them. But we will not allow the Trump Administration to remove them simply because we don’t want to look as though we’re capitulating to him," Lopez said.
Pritzker’s Response and Broader Implications
Governor Pritzker, while acknowledging the tragedy, shifted accountability to national immigration failures. "Those failures, of course, 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," he remarked. However, Lopez pointed out that Pritzker’s narrative ignores the enforcement gaps under the current administration.
This incident has reignited debates over immigration policies and their impact on public safety, particularly in cities like Chicago, which continue to grapple with violent crime and strained relations with federal immigration authorities.