Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman broke ranks with fellow Democrats on Tuesday, delivering a blunt critique of his party’s handling of the death of Sheridan Gorman. The college freshman was allegedly shot and killed last Thursday near the Loyola University campus by Jose Medina-Medina, a Venezuelan national who had been released into the U.S. by Border Patrol on two separate occasions in 2023.
Appearing on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom,” Fetterman questioned why his colleagues seemed hesitant to address the failure of border enforcement or the loss of life.
“Why can’t we just talk about that life lost? Why can’t we just acknowledge this is a serious, serious failure? It’s devastating as a father,” Fetterman said. The Senator, who co-sponsored the Laken Riley Act, expressed frustration that only a handful of Democrats supported the legislation, which aims to require the detention of undocumented immigrants who commit certain crimes.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that Medina-Medina was apprehended and released twice last year before the fatal encounter with Gorman.
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According to a DHS press release, the suspect allegedly shot the student as she tried to flee. Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis issued a sharp statement following the arrest, noting that Gorman was “failed by open border policies and sanctuary politicians who released this illegal alien twice.”
Fetterman did not hold back when asked why he thinks other Democrats have been slow to support stricter deportation measures for those breaking the law.
He suggested the hesitation stems from a fear of political blowback from the party’s base, something he says he has experienced personally for his shifting stances on border security. “I’d rather be on the moral clarities or on the kinds of right side of history or the correct kinds of principles,” he told host Bill Hemmer.
As the legal proceedings against Medina-Medina begin, DHS officials are publicly calling on Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago leadership to ensure the suspect remains in custody.
Fetterman argued that the issue should be a matter of “common sense,” questioning why anyone would find it unreasonable to deport individuals who are in the country illegally and committing crimes. He warned that without a change in approach, tragedies like the death of Sheridan Gorman “are going to continue to happen.”
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