The tragic killing of 19-year-old college freshman Sheridan Gorman has sparked a sharp verbal confrontation between former White House press office advisor Yemisi Egbewole and Illinois’ top Democratic leadership.
Egbewole, who served under the Biden administration, appeared on “Fox News Live” Sunday to criticize Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for their handling of the fallout following Gorman’s death.
Gorman was allegedly shot and killed near the Loyola University campus last Thursday by Jose Medina-Medina, a Venezuelan national. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Medina-Medina had been released twice by federal authorities in 2023.
Egbewole acknowledged that Governor Pritzker’s office initially released a “great” statement calling the act “senseless,” but she argued the tone shifted inappropriately when the Governor moved the conversation toward a political battle with Donald Trump.
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“I think you can address the grievances of the family without trying to appease the wider base that is worried about all immigrants being painted in a certain light,” Egbewole said during her appearance. “I think this should have just stayed directly on the grieving family and the tragic murder that happened.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson also faced criticism from Egbewole, who stated he has done a “pretty terrible job” of remaining sympathetic to the Gorman family.
On Wednesday, Johnson addressed the killing while standing in front of a city snowplow that the public had named “Abolish ICE” through a naming contest. Despite the outcry over the suspect’s immigration status, Johnson maintained that the tragedy would not alter his policy approach.
“I’m going to continue to use every single tool that’s available to me to protect the residents of the city of Chicago,” Johnson told reporters. “This tragedy is not going to deter us from our work. In fact, it’s going to challenge us all to double down on our efforts to ensure that we are protecting every single individual across neighborhoods.”
Both Pritzker and Johnson have a history of opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations within Chicago, a stance that has led to frequent public feuds with Donald Trump.
As the legal case against Medina-Medina moves forward, the debate over the intersection of local crime and federal immigration policy remains at the forefront of the city’s political landscape.
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