A mother brought raw grief and hard questions to a congressional hearing on sanctuary policies, putting the human cost of relaxed cooperation with federal immigration authorities in a stark, personal light. Her testimony forced lawmakers to confront whether local rules that limit turning people over to federal agents put American lives at risk, and Republicans used the moment to press for change.
Jessica Gorman stood before a House Judiciary subcommittee and told a roomful of elected officials that the systems in place failed her daughter. Her account did not drift into abstractions; it was a direct, painful demand for answers about policy choices that have consequences on the ground. The focus was sanctuary policies and whether they shield criminal illegal immigrants from federal handoff.
“I want you to imagine that little girl on the ‘buddy bench,’ that innocent college freshman with a heart full of compassion and a head full of dreams that was gunned down by an illegal immigrant,” Gorman said. “I want you to imagine that was your daughter, not mine. What if she was yours?”
She invoked childhood memory to humanize the loss, describing Sheridan as someone who reached out to others who felt lonely. The imagery of the buddy bench is simple and painful; it made the abstract effects of policy painfully concrete. Gorman said officials who hide behind slogans must face the families they impact.
“I bring this back to the buddy bench. I think Congress needs one. Yes, I think every governor, every mayor, every sanctuary city official and politician shifting blame and interest, hiding behind their slogans and talking points should have to all sit on one,” Gorman said. “I challenge you all to sit down with me. Take my hand, look me in the eye, and then explain to me, because I just don’t understand. Explain why people here illegally matter more than your American citizens. 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. Ask me — I need you to tell me.”
Gorman named the man accused of killing her daughter as Jose Medina, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who she said “should not have even been in this country.” She said he had a prior crime and an outstanding warrant before he was allegedly left on Chicago streets. The accusation underscored the central Republican argument: policies that reduce cooperation with ICE risk releasing dangerous people back into communities.
Republicans framed the hearing as accountability for jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. They argued sanctuary rules let criminal illegal immigrants slip back into neighborhoods instead of being transferred to federal custody. That argument drove much of the questioning and the push to change local practices.
Democrats defended sanctuary policies as a tool for preserving trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement. They said fear of deportation discourages cooperation with police and undermines public safety in other ways. The partisan split made the hearing both a debate about tactics and a test of political messaging.
Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., who chairs the subcommittee, opened the hearing with a promise to keep spotlighting families harmed by these policies until they were “rectified.” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., the ranking member, offered condolences to Gorman and another grieving witness but criticized the hearing as repetitive and urged scrutiny of past enforcement decisions. The clash showed how Congress remains a battleground for immigration policy priorities.
The hearing briefly heated up before Gorman testified, when Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., introduced her and was interrupted by Democrats who said his remarks crossed into broader immigration rhetoric. That moment reflected how tightly emotions and politics are wound together on this issue. For families like Gorman’s, however, the procedural fight felt secondary to the question of whether policies protected or endangered their children.
“But this story is not about him,” Gorman told lawmakers. “The story is about my Sheridan.”
Gorman said she never planned to become a public figure, but grief changed that. “I’m a lover, not a fighter,” Gorman said. “I’m not a public speaker. I’m not someone who ever speaks out about things. I have to.” Her testimony was a call for lawmakers to stop treating policy as abstract and to start answering why the safety of citizens sometimes seems less urgent than political priorities.
