The White House has paid tribute to Sheridan Gorman after the Loyola college student’s brutal murder. The 18-year-old freshman was shot dead by 25-year-old Venezuelan migrant Jose Medina-Medina last Thursday when she and a group of friends walked to the pier at Tobey Prinz Beach to see the Northern Lights, the family's attorney said, according to ABC 7.
“A preventable tragedy. Sheridan Gorman was murdered by an illegal alien released into the U.S. in 2023 under the Biden administration — a direct result of failed border & sanctuary city policies,” the White House said in an Instagram post.
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“The Trump Admin is working hard to prevent tragedies like this from happening again. Prayers are with her loved ones,” the post added.
What Donald Trump said about the case
President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday, March 23, that he had been briefed on Gorman’s murder. He said that the incident showed that there was a need for ramped up immigration enforcement efforts.
{{/usCountry}}President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday, March 23, that he had been briefed on Gorman’s murder. He said that the incident showed that there was a need for ramped up immigration enforcement efforts.
{{/usCountry}}“This person came in through the open door policy of [former President] Joe Biden and we have others,” Trump said, according to WGLT. “ We’re taking them out by the tens of thousands. We’re doing a great job, but it’s a shame.”
According to court records, an arrest warrant was issued for Medina-Medina in 2023 after he stopped appearing in court on shoplifting charges. Federal officials have said that the undocumented Venezuelan national should have never been released after that 2023 arrest.
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Chicago police arrested Medina-Medina shortly after Gorman’s murder. Authorities utilized facial recognition software to compare images from surveillance footage to U.S. Customs and Border Protection records. CPD investigators stated in an arrest report that the images matched Medina-Medina.
Medina-Medina is facing first degree murder and weapon charges, according to ABC 7.