IL Dems decline to defend ‘no’ votes on Laken Riley Act after student’s killing tied to repeat offender
Nearly a dozen Illinois Democrats are declining to defend their votes against the Laken Riley Act after the killing of a Loyola student allegedly by an illegal immigrant who, under the law, could have been detained following a prior arrest.
Sheridan Gorman, 18, was shot and killed by Jose Medina-Medina, authorities allege, who had previously been picked up for shoplifting in Cook County. That charge would have qualified him to be held for federal detention and processing instead of being released back onto the streets, where he could reoffend, under the act named for a Georgia college student slain by another illegal immigrant repeat offender.
DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital that Gorman’s death could have been prevented if not for sanctuary state and city policies and if a law like the Laken Riley Act had been in effect sooner.
"Sheridan Gorman — just like Laken Riley and countless other American victims — would still be with us today and with their families if it were not for sanctuary politicians’ refusal to cooperate with ICE," Bis said.
The Illinois delegation voted 11-5 against the Laken Riley Act, with Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider not voting due to a medical emergency but later saying he would have voted "no."
All three Republicans, along with Democratic Reps. Nikki Budzinski and Eric Sorenson, voted for the act, but 11 other Democrats opposed it, along with Schneider.
"While I firmly believe that the government has a responsibility to keep our communities safe and do everything in its power to keep dangerous criminals off our streets, this bill, as written, opens the door to the targeting and detention of innocent people, something clearly prohibited by our Constitution," Schneider said in a January 2025 statement, going on to say he would support something more along the lines of the Lankford-Sinema immigration bill opposed by President Donald Trump.
Schneider said at the time the Laken Riley Act used the student’s death to "score cheap political points." He did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
Nine of the 11 Democrats who voted "no" did not respond or did not provide comment, except Reps. Jonathan Jackson of Chicago and Jan Schakowsky of Evanston.
Jackson, the son of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, told Fox News Digital that Gorman’s murder is a "senseless tragedy."
"My deepest condolences go out to her family, friends, and the entire community who are mourning this unspeakable loss. The person responsible for Sheridan’s murder must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
"But let’s be clear: this is about more than a single piece of legislation," Jackson said in reference to the Laken Riley Act.
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"I encourage my colleagues to prioritize bills that strengthen, not divide, our communities and policies which would build safer, thriving communities, and save lives, by investing in effective community-based violence interventions."
A Schakowsky spokesperson directed Fox News Digital to a public statement by the retiring Democrat:
"There are no words for a loss like this. Sheridan Gorman was just 18 years old, with her whole life ahead of her. My heart is with her family, her friends, and every member of the Loyola community mourning this senseless tragedy," Schakowsky said, while however offering no comment on the Laken Riley Act itself.
DHS was adamant that Gorman's death was preventable had the Laken Riley Act been made law.
"These politicians would rather release criminal illegal aliens from jails into our communities to perpetuate more crimes and create more victims. Sheridan Gorman was failed by open border policies and sanctuary politicians who released this illegal alien twice before he went on to commit this heinous murder," Bis told Fox News Digital.
She called on Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago leaders to stop releasing criminal illegal immigrants back on the streets and said Trump signed the Laken Riley Act to prevent cases just like Gorman’s.
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She said 21,400 illegal immigrants have been arrested or detained thanks to the Laken Riley Act in one year since its passage.
Meanwhile, nine other Illinois Democrats remained officially mum on their no votes.
A representative for Rep. Danny Davis of Chicago said the congressman was on another call when a reporter followed up earlier, but Fox News Digital never received a call back.
Requests for comment were sent to Reps. Delia Ramirez, Robin Kelly, Mike Quigley and Jesus Garcia of Chicago; Bill Foster of Aurora; Lauren Underwood of Naperville; Sean Casten of Downers Grove; and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg.
Sens. Richard Durbin and Tammy Duckworth also voted "no" and did not respond to requests for comment.
Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., who authored the House version of the Laken Riley Act, said in a statement that he did so to get criminals like Medina-Medina off the streets.
"This young woman (Gorman) had her whole life ahead of her, and it was taken away by an illegal alien who had already been arrested in a sanctuary city," Collins said. "If [the act] had been law in 2023, she would still be alive today."