Parents of teen slain by undocumented migrant press candidates on New York sanctuary law

In a televised debate for New York's 17th Congressional District, the grieving parents of Sheridan Gorman - an 18-year-old Loyola University freshman shot dead by an undocumented Venezuelan migrant in Chicago - confronted Republican Rep. Mike Lawler and Democratic nominee Cait Conley about the state's newly enacted sanctuary law that restricts cooperation with ICE. Tom and Jessica Gorman asked whether the candidates would back federal legislation to repeal such sanctuary policies.

Conley labeled the murder "inexcusable" but declined to state a position on overturning the law, whereas Lawler reiterated his support for a federal ban on sanctuary jurisdictions and criticized Governor Kathy Hochul's measure. Both candidates pledged assistance to Haitian migrants whose temporary protected status was ended by the Trump administration. The debate also touched on taxes, energy, and other issues, but the sanctuary question underscored the personal impact of immigration enforcement debates in a closely watched House race.