New ads from Rep. Mike Lawler’s campaign feature Sheridan Gorman’s parents blaming sanctuary policies for the 18-year-old’s March killing and casting the case as a central issue in New York’s 17th District race.
DHS says the man accused of killing Gorman, Jose Medina, is a Venezuelan national who entered illegally in May 2023, was previously deported, and was released after a Chicago shoplifting arrest.
At a district debate this week, Gorman’s parents pressed Lawler and Democrat Cait Conley on whether they support ending New York’s limits on local cooperation with ICE.
Conley called Gorman’s death inexcusable and said immigration enforcement is essential, but criticized Trump-era tactics; Lawler said Democrats would revive lax Biden-era policies and oppose ending sanctuary jurisdictions.
The race could help decide House control, giving Republicans a high-stakes test of whether immigration backlash can again drive suburban voters in the 2026 midterms.