Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said on Newsmax Saturday that Democrats have made themselves the party of "open borders" and opposition to law enforcement.
He used the killing of Loyola University freshman Sheridan Gorman in Chicago to argue that Illinois and city leaders helped create the conditions for the crime.
In the interview on "Saturday Report," Blagojevich said "the Democratic Party today is all about open borders and supporting criminal illegal immigrants and opposing law enforcement," and he accused Gov. JB Pritzker, D-Ill., and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson of working at cross purposes with immigration authorities.
He also alleged they were trying to hide the broader story surrounding the case.
"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, particularly with ICE in their efforts to go after these illegal immigrants who are their focus, being, of course, the criminal ones," Blagojevich said.
His comments came after prosecutors charged Jose Medina, 25, with first-degree murder and other firearm counts in the March 19 shooting death of Gorman, an 18-year-old Loyola freshman.
Prosecutors said Gorman was with friends near the pier at Tobey Prinz Beach in Rogers Park when Medina opened fire.
CBS Chicago reported that prosecutors said she was shot in the back, and a judge on March 27 ordered Medina held pending trial.
Blagojevich said he believes the shooting was a gang initiation carried out by a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
However, authorities have not publicly identified a gang motive.
He said Democratic officials, including Pritzker and Johnson, are trying to cover up that angle because it contradicts their narrative that criminals are not entering the country.
He also pointed to a Chicago alderwoman's initial description of the killing as a "wrong place at the wrong time" incident as part of that effort. Alderwoman Maria Hadden, a Democrat who represents the Rogers Park area, later apologized for the remarks amid backlash, according to Fox News.
"Their argument is that criminals aren't coming to America, and it's so obviously not the case. And they have been so active in preventing law enforcement from finding these criminals — they have, frankly, the responsibility for this killing," he said.
The case has also become part of a wider political fight over immigration policy.
ABC7 Chicago reported that federal officials said Medina is an undocumented Venezuelan national who entered the United States in 2023, was later arrested in Chicago on a retail theft charge, and failed to appear in court, leading to a warrant.
ICE had lodged a detainer seeking to prevent Medina's release.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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