DHS says suspect in Loyola student’s murder was Biden-era catch-and-release

The illegal immigrant accused of killing Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman entered the United States during the Biden administration and was captured and released into the country, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Sunday.

DHS also confirmed that Jose Medina-Medina, a 25-year-old Venezuelan citizen, was previously arrested in Chicago on a theft charge; this was a prior criminal incident prior to the alleged murder.

According to Chicago Police Department sources, he is being quarantined due to a potentially infectious disease (possibly tuberculosis).

A police source also told Fox News that Thursday’s attack was an apparent ambush and that the attacker was wearing a mask or face covering. Medina-Medina is believed to live in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood.

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Investigators have recovered a firearm believed to be linked to the murder and are awaiting results of gunpowder residue testing, sources said.

Medina-Medina was first captured by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, and was released into the country during the Biden administration, DHS said Sunday.

He was later arrested for theft in Chicago on June 19, 2023, and was released again; this was a sign of a criminal incident preceding the alleged murder.

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Sheridan Gorman, the Loyola University Chicago student who was fatally shot near campus, is shown next to the school’s Lake Shore Campus in Rogers Park. (Alyssa Schukar via Getty Images / Sheridan G. Gorman via Instagram for The Washington Post)

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also announced it had arrested a detainee and called on Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago sanctuary city leaders not to release Medina-Medina.

“Jose Medina-Medina was previously released following an arrest for burglary in Chicago,” DHS said.

“Sheridan Gorman had her whole life ahead of her before this cold-blooded killer decided to end her life,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.

“We call on Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago’s sanctuary politicians to stand firm in not releasing this criminal, illegal alien from prison back into American neighborhoods.”

The agency also noted broader concerns, noting that ICE had previously called on Illinois officials to honor those who detained thousands of criminal illegal aliens in state custody.

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DHS confirmed that Jose Medina-Medina, a Venezuelan citizen, was also arrested on a theft charge and was released before the alleged murder. (DHS)

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, Gorman, a freshman from Westchester County, New York, was shot in the head after a gunman approached a group of friends walking along Chicago’s lakefront and opened fire.

He shot her as she tried to escape. Gorman was pronounced dead at the scene, and no other injuries were reported.

The suspect was reportedly identified shortly after the shooting, in part due to a noticeable limp, according to local records. The investigation is still ongoing.

A month before he was captured at the Medina-Medina border and released to the United States in 2023, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified on Capitol Hill: the border was safe. “This is my testimony that the border is safe,” Mayorkas said.

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Sheridan Gorman, a New York native, is reportedly just a few months away from completing her freshman year at Loyola University Chicago in Illinois. (via Sheridan G. Gorman on Instagram)

“Once again, we are faced with the unbearable truth: our daughter’s life was taken, and our family will never be the same again,” Sheridan Gorman’s family said in a statement. he said.

“Sheridan was the heart of our family. She had a rare ability to bring people together, to make others feel included, understood and loved. She lived with intention, conviction and a kindness that defined who she was every day. She was just beginning her journey and had so much ahead of her.”

Gorman’s family also said, “Three days ago our lives were shattered in a way no family can endure.”

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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker speaks with members of the media at Manny’s Cafeteria and Delicatessen during the upcoming primary elections on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. A Senate Democratic primary in Illinois to choose Sen. Dick Durbin’s successor could trigger differences over campaign budgets and immigration policy (Credit: Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

However, Councilwoman Maria Hadden suggested to Fox 32 Chicago that the incident was the result of Sheridan Gorman being “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Hadden said there was no indication of a broader threat, adding that “we do not believe it is causing broader concern to the community.”

“The kids were outside doing normal things that people in the neighborhood did,” he said. “They might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, they might have encountered a person with a gun.”

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“They may have unintentionally startled this person at the end of the pier,” he added. “We do not believe there is any reason for wider society to be concerned,” he assured.