In the wake of another tragic and preventable loss, the Democrats find themselves scrambling to avoid blame once again. This time, an 18-year-old Loyola University student, Sheridan Gorman, had her life cut short by an illegal immigrant previously arrested for other crimes. As the story unfolds in Illinois, the infamous Democratic Governor JB Pritzker has found an unlikely scapegoat: former President Trump. No surprises there for anyone keeping track of the political blame game.
Governor Pritzker, seemingly eager to deflect responsibility, linked this horrific crime to the so-called national failures, including the lack of comprehensive immigration reform. One might ponder if this is his clever way of sidestepping the failures of sanctuaries like Chicago or simply a poor attempt to distance himself ahead of future political aspirations. Either way, Gorman’s family isn’t likely to find much solace in Pritzker’s finger-pointing strategy, which conveniently ignores the more localized policies that allowed such violence to occur in the first place.
Mayor Brandon Johnson, also making his appearance only after the fact, touted the city’s swift policing response—as if offering a safe environment in the first place wasn’t part of the job description. With sanctuary policies firmly in place in Chicago, it’s a wonder how anyone didn’t see this coming. The notion that these policies somehow are a hallmark of humanitarianism is laughable, especially when the primary outcome is turning a blind eye to criminal activities, much to the detriment of innocent citizens like Sheridan.
The case revolves around 25-year-old Venezuelan illegal immigrant Joseé Medina Medina, who had previously been arrested for shoplifting. Under different circumstances—say, in a city where federal law mattered—a crime, albeit minor, might have led to his deportation. Yet sanctuary policies ensured he remained free to escalate from theft to murder. But the real head-scratcher lies in why there was hesitance in handing him over to federal authorities earlier. Could it be that these “comprehensive reforms” are just a convenient curtain to disguise failed policy-making?
As if Pritzker’s blame game wasn’t enough, the family of Sheridan Gorman has felt compelled to not only grieve but to publicly defend their daughter’s actions and criticize the policies that failed them. They make it clear that her ordinary college evening out should not have been a life-ending event. Their heartbreak is real, and their questions about accountability cut through Pritzker’s pleasantries with a sharp clarity. Maybe it’s high time to listen to them and reassess the laws that led to this fate. After all, real change starts with accepting responsibility, a concept seemingly lost on the proponents of these so-called progressive policies.
