Chicago Councilman Critiques Governor Over Blame for Student’s Murder

Chicago City Councilman Raymond Lopez expressed his discontent on Wednesday regarding Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s comments about the murder of college student Sheridan Gorman. Pritzker had attributed the blame for the incident to former President Donald Trump, although the accused, Jose Medina-Medina, was a Venezuelan national who had been released twice under President Joe Biden’s administration earlier this year, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Lopez appeared on Fox News’ “America Report” and stated that the Biden-Harris administration shares responsibility for such violent incidents due to their failure to adequately vet and manage criminal immigrants entering the country. “It’s easy to place blame on Trump, but I’m not an ardent supporter or opponent of his,” Lopez said. “The roots of this issue can be traced back to the current administration.” He emphasized that the federal government allowed a large influx of people from various regions to enter the United States, lacking proper asylum processing and vetting.

“The origin of this problem lies in their policies,” he added. “I haven’t seen any Democrats holding Biden and Harris accountable, despite knowing who was being admitted and the risks involved.”

Lopez further criticized Chicago’s policy of not collaborating with Trump’s administration to target priority offenders. “Currently, Chicago has identified 2,000 dangerous individuals, but we refuse to let the Trump administration take action because we don’t want to seem like we’re giving in,” he remarked.

Medina-Medina is alleged to have shot Gorman fatally as she attempted to flee near the Loyola University area. Pritzker lamented the tragedy and remarked on the broader failures related to immigration reform and governmental oversight, indicating the state’s responsibility in the matter.

Despite ongoing discussions, the situation at the southern border remained a contentious topic, with the Trump administration having maintained control during its later years, even as bipartisan initiatives to address those issues faltered. Biden and Harris have consistently pointed to the border crisis starting during their leadership and criticized Trump for not facilitating solutions.

Pritzker had previously attempted to frame Chicago as secure, despite the city grappling with persistent violence. The governor has had ongoing disputes with Trump over immigration policy and supported state lawsuits challenging DHS directives.

Lopez also chastised Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson in September for their refusal to engage with Trump’s initiatives aimed at tackling crime. “It seems like local leadership is rejecting support in order to avoid appearing cooperative with the president for their political image,” he suggested.