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While Republican senators, such as Ted Cruz of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida, were quick to condemn policies that prevented the illegal immigrant killer of 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman from being deported, Democratic senators dodged questions about whether Gorman’s killer should have been previously deported before this month’s murder.
Gorman, who was a student at Loyola University Chicago at the time of her death, was allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, 25-year-old José Medina. Medina was detained by the US Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, but was later released into the United States under the Biden administration, according to Trump’s Department of Homeland Security.
A short time later, Medina was arrested for shoplifting in Chicago, but was released again on June 19, 2023, DHS said. A judge issued an arrest warrant for Medina after he failed to appear in court on his larceny charge, which was still active at the time of Gorman’s murder, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
“Shoplifting in and of itself is not a violent crime. It is not an indicator that a person is inclined toward violent crime,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said when asked about Medina’s case and whether he should have been deported before Gorman’s murder.
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Sheridan Gorman (L) was allegedly murdered by José Medina (R) (Sheridan Gorman/Instagram and Cook County Sheriff’s Office)
“You’re asking me to speculate on a lot of things and I can’t answer that,” said Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nev., when asked whether Gorman’s killer and other killers of illegal immigrants who had significant criminal records at the time of their arrests should have been deported before people were hurt. “I don’t know the cases. I trust our justice system to do the right thing and hold people accountable.”
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., responded that the Trump administration’s sweeping crackdown on deportations has prevented federal law enforcement from targeting seriously dangerous people, an argument pushed by other top Democrats in Congress. “I think if Trump cleaned up Chicago and if ICE did their job, he wouldn’t be here, right?” Duckworth said as he boarded an elevator on Capitol Hill. “But they deported people who are not… [unintelligible]”.
Meanwhile, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., offered a more sensible response, but also suggested that the style in which the Trump administration is deporting people is problematic.
“Do I think violent criminals should be deported? Yes,” Slotkin said, adding that it is “easy” to deport someone who has been “properly charged and prosecuted.” But Slotkin added that “innocent civilians who protest against their government and use their freedom of speech should not be singled out or expelled.”
Democrats who spoke to Fox News Digital quickly agreed that violent criminals who entered and reside in the country illegally should be deported.
From left: Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada. (Getty Images)
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“Anyone who violates or creates a crime in this country – particularly kills someone – should not only be held accountable in the United States, but, yes, there should be immigration enforcement against that individual,” Cortez-Masto said.
“Every community deserves to feel safe, and I believe that people who commit violent crimes should not be allowed to be in our country or among our communities,” added Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md.
Meanwhile, Durbin qualified his comments on Medina’s theft accusation by admitting that “we must do a careful examination of the people who come to this country and those who want to stay in this country,” adding that “if they are dangerous to the community, they should be denied entry or removed from the country later.”
But Republican Senators Cruz and Scott were quick to criticize Democrats for supposedly caring more about illegal immigrants than American citizens.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) holds a press conference with families who lost loved ones in the January 29, 2025 DCA plane crash on December 15, 2025 at the United States Capitol in Washington, DC. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
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“It’s tragic and it was avoidable,” Cruz said when asked about Gorman’s death and Medina’s non-deportation. “Democrats are so radical that they prioritize illegal immigrants over American citizens.”
“It’s disgusting that these people say, ‘Oh, they act like they care about Americans.’ But then you look at their actions: They care about the people who are out here violently hurting Americans,” Scott complained.