Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., pushed back Thursday on Newsmax against efforts by Democrats to blame President Donald Trump for the murder of a Chicago college student allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant.
Appearing on Newsmax's "Bianca Across the Nation," Blackburn argued the tragedy underscores failures in Biden-era immigration enforcement and sanctuary policies.
She pointed to the killing this week of 18-year-old Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman, calling the case a devastating example of preventable crime tied to unchecked illegal immigration.
Blackburn said the suspect, described as a twice-deported illegal alien, "should never have been here," emphasizing that prior encounters with law enforcement should have resulted in removal from the country.
Responding to comments from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker suggesting broader systemic failures, including criticism of Trump's immigration enforcement policies, the senator rejected shifting blame to the president.
"When you have Soros-backed DAs that are letting these people go, and in the Sheridan Gorman case, it was someone who entered from Venezuela, they came in under Biden, they were arrested shortly after arriving in the U.S., for shoplifting, their crime spree continued and it ends with an 18-year-old girl who is murdered," Blackburn said.
She also criticized remarks from a Chicago official who suggested the victim was in the "wrong place at the wrong time," calling that response "callous and uncaring."
"I will tell you this — it was the illegal alien in the wrong place," Blackburn said. "They should never have been here."
The Tennessee Republican broadened her critique to Democrat immigration priorities, warning that weakening Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as she claimed congressional Democrats are seeking to do, would exacerbate public safety risks.
"These sanctuary cities have got to start to work with federal law enforcement and ICE," Blackburn said.
She added that if Democrats continue pursuing policies to "abolish ICE and defund federal law enforcement," violent crimes like the Gorman case will persist.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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