Illegal Immigrant Released by DHS Accused of Murder

Recent documents from the House Judiciary Committee indicate that President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, permitted the release of illegal immigrants into the U.S. despite knowledge of their invalid asylum claims. One such individual is accused of murdering 18-year-old Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman in Chicago last month.

According to reports, Jose Medina-Medina, a 25-year-old undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, was arrested in connection with Sheridan’s death, which occurred during an unprovoked attack at the Toby Prinz Beach pier on March 19. Prosecutors state that Sheridan and her friends noticed Medina-Medina lurking and fled for safety when he opened fire, tragically killing her.

On Tuesday, internal DHS documents revealed that officials had determined Medina-Medina lacked a valid asylum claim, did not provide identification, and had no U.S. contact information or address. Furthermore, he expressed no fear of being returned to Venezuela when he arrived at the southern border on May 9, 2023.

One document highlighted that Medina-Medina “was unable to provide a valid U.S. address and/or verifiable contact information.” It noted that he and others claimed no fear of harm or persecution if sent back to their home country.

Nevertheless, DHS officials chose to release him, citing a “potential for him to abscond” from immigration processing while also claiming limited space to detain him.

Gorman’s murder is part of a troubling trend. In another incident last month, an undocumented immigrant released by DHS was charged with two murders in Mecklenburg, North Carolina. Additionally, another released immigrant is charged with the death of 62-year-old Christopher Babcock in Pitt County, North Carolina. In Escambia County, Florida, a detained immigrant is accused of killing his 3-year-old nephew after the child’s mother was deported.