Jessica Gormon buried her 18-year-old daughter Sheridan after an illegal immigrant from Venezuela murdered her on the streets of Chicago. The suspect should never have been in America — and should never have been walking free after committing crimes. But sanctuary city policies let him stay, let him go, and let him kill.
On Tuesday, Gormon testified before a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on sanctuary policies. She didn’t hold back.
“There’s no ‘but’ when your child is in a coffin.”
Prosecutors charged Jose Medina-Medina with Sheridan Gormon’s murder. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Medina-Medina is a Venezuelan illegal immigrant who crossed the border in May 2023 under the Biden administration. Border Patrol took him into custody — then released him into the interior.
He was arrested again in June 2023 for shoplifting in Chicago. The city let him walk.
Sheridan Gormon paid the price.
“The man accused of murdering my daughter is an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who should not have even been in this country,” Jessica Gormon told the committee. “And even after committing a crime and having an outstanding warrant, he was left on the streets of Chicago to murder my innocent American child.”
“Failed border policies and sanctuary city laws and twisted leaders refused to cooperate with ICE,” Gormon said. “They sent her to her grave.”
Gormon demanded answers from the lawmakers in front of her — including Democrats who showed up to defend sanctuary policies.
“When did protecting our American citizens stop being your first priority?” she asked. “And even more important: Why did protecting our American citizens stop being your first priority?”
She wasn’t finished.
“I want an explanation, and I need one, and I deserve one,” Gormon said. “In what world did the girl who saw everyone become invisible to the people in power responsible for protecting her?”
“Explain why sanctuary policies matter more than my Sheridan’s life. Explain why cooperation with ICE was too much to ask for, but asking our American parents to bury our children is somehow acceptable.”
Gormon called out Democrats for offering hollow sympathy followed by excuses.
“I know that you’re a mother, I know that you’re a father,” she said, addressing the lawmakers. “But basically what you just did, what you said was, ‘I’m so sorry for your loss. I feel your pain.'”
“You don’t!” Gormon fired back. “You don’t feel my pain, because the next words out of your mouth were, ‘But.'”
“There’s no ‘but’ when your child is in a coffin,” she repeated. “There’s no ‘but.'”
The angel mother challenged the members of Congress to “sit and hold my hand and look me in the eye and explain to me why illegal immigrants are more important than my daughter.”
Democrat Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin and Democrat Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal attended the hearing. Committee chairman Republican California Rep. Tom McClintock, Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, and Republican New York Rep. Mike Lawler were also present.
Reps. Lawler and Raskin got into a heated shouting match at the beginning of the hearing as Lawler tried to introduce Jessica Gormon to the committee.
Sanctuary cities limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities — often preventing local law enforcement from checking immigration status or assisting ICE with enforcement. Chicago is led by Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson and is listed as a sanctuary city by the Department of Justice. Ten of the 12 sanctuary jurisdictions listed by the DOJ are led by Democrat politicians.
Gormon’s testimony comes as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on sanctuary cities nationwide. The hearing put a national spotlight on the human cost of policies that shield illegal immigrants from deportation — even after they commit crimes on American soil.
House hearing on sanctuary policy turns into a SCREAMING MATCH between Reps. Jamie Raskin and Mike Lawler.
Incredibly heated exchange as Lawler tried to give a full intro speech while introducing his witness, a mother who lost a child to an undocumented immigrant.… pic.twitter.com/73dPRC88Im
— Joe Khalil (@JoeKhalilTV) June 30, 2026
