Criticism of Responses to College Student’s Murder

On Sunday, Yemisi Egbewole, a former advisor in President Joe Biden’s White House Press Office, critiqued the reactions of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson concerning the murder of college freshman Sheridan Gorman.

Governor Pritzker attributed the tragedy to President Donald Trump, noting that it was committed by an undocumented immigrant who had been released twice during the Biden administration in 2023. Similarly, Mayor Johnson stated that the killings wouldn’t alter his approach to governance. Egbewole, speaking on “Fox News Live,” acknowledged that Pritzker’s office made a decent statement about the murder but felt he then politicized it. She suggested that Johnson’s lack of a sympathetic response to Gorman’s family was also concerning.

“I think the Governor’s Office, Mr. J.B. Pritzker, did a great job calling his statement thoroughly nonsensical and wanting the defendant to go to prison. But I think the tone changes when he brings it up in a political context,” Egbewole mentioned. “The family’s grief needs addressing without trying to appease broader concerns about how immigrants are viewed. This issue should focus on the family and the tragedy itself.”

A spokesperson from Pritzker’s office described Gorman’s murder as “senseless,” asserting that the suspected killer should face justice. They accused the Trump administration of “politicizing a heinous tragedy” instead of addressing violent crime effectively.

Pritzker, in a Tuesday interview, reiterated his belief that Trump was responsible for a “failure of the state” regarding the situation.

Egbewole also criticized Mayor Johnson, stating, “I think he has done a pretty bad job addressing this issue sympathetically for the family. There needs to be some balance here.” Johnson referred to the incident as a “tragedy,” which took place as the public gathered around a snowplow whimsically named “Abolish ICE,” alluding to the broader critiques of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

“We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect the residents of the City of Chicago,” Johnson stated. He emphasized that such tragedies wouldn’t deter their efforts but rather would motivate them to protect everyone in their neighborhoods.

Pritzker and Johnson have both expressed opposition to ICE operations in Chicago and have had ongoing disagreements with Trump.

Jose Medina-Medina, an immigrant from Venezuela, is suspected of fatally shooting Gorman as he attempted to flee near the Loyola University campus, according to the Department of Homeland Security.