Illinois Gov Pritzker admits 'real failures' as slain Chicago student's hometown pays tribute in lights
Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said there have been "real failures" when it comes to immigration, and criticized President Donald Trump for failing to "follow his own edict."
Jose Medina-Medina, 25, was arrested on Friday after he allegedly shot and killed Sheridan Gorman early on Thursday morning at a pier in Chicago. Gorman was with a group of friends when she was killed. Medina-Medina, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, and was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
In a new statement, Pritzker seemingly pointed a finger at the Trump administration, according to the Chicago Tribune.
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"This has been a terrible tragedy, and I know that the Gorman family has suffered mightily… There have been real failures. Those failures, of course, extend beyond the borders of Illinois. That’s their 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," Pritzker said Tuesday.
Pritzker made the comments as homes in Yorktown Heights, New York, where Gorman is from, were lit up in green on Tuesday night in honor of the slain Loyola University Chicago student. Green is one of Yorktown's school colors, according to CBS News.
"And in my view, we have a lot of work that we need to continue to do," he added. "But it is the job of the federal government to go after immigration enforcement, and it is the job of our local and state law enforcement to prosecute or catch violent criminals and prosecute them, and we should continue to do that both on the state level and the national level."
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Illinois is considered a sanctuary state, and local law enforcement agencies are generally prohibited from participating in immigration enforcement.
"People are popping green lights on just to let the Gormans know that, you know, we're all here for them, and we're here for Sheridan and just our hearts are broken for them all," New York Assemblyman Matt Slater said.
Jessica Gorman, Sheridan's mother, told the New York Post outside her home on Tuesday, "We are gonna get justice for Sheridan."
"We are really focusing this week specifically on burying our daughter. We are really focusing on the beauty of her life," she said. "We are not addressing this man."
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In an earlier statement to Fox News Digital, the Gorman family said they are disappointed with policies that allowed Medina-Medina to remain in the country.
"When systems fail—whether through release decisions, lack of coordination, or unwillingness to act—the consequences are not abstract. They are real. And in our case, they are permanent," the family wrote.
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An arrest report obtained by Fox News Digital shows that Medina-Medina was seen on security video in his apartment building's lobby waiting for an elevator while unmasked after the alleged shooting. A building engineer told police that he knew the suspect, who had a "very distinct limp and gait."
Police said Medina-Medina was wearing a black mask and black clothing as he walked away from the shooting, noting that he had a "distinct limp and slow gait." He was seen walking from the location of the shooting to Pratt Boulevard at 1:12 a.m. Just a few minutes later, the individual was seen walking northbound through the east alley of Sheridan Road before he entered the back of his apartment complex.
Images of the suspect were sent to a police database, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection identified the suspect as Medina-Medina. He was arrested at his apartment in Rogers Park, according to the arrest report.
Medina-Medina told officials in 2023 that he was living at Leone Beach Park fieldhouse in Rogers Park in 2023, which was being used as a city-sponsored shelter for migrants. The shelter closed in 2024, according to South Side Weekly.
Fox News Digital reached out to Pritzker's office for comment.