There are moments when politics should stop and humanity should take over.
Watching Jessica Gorman speak about the murder of her 18-year-old daughter, Sheridan, isn’t watching a political debate. It’s watching a mother relive the worst day of her life.
Sheridan left for college with the same hopes every parent has for their child—to learn, to grow, to build a future. Instead, according to prosecutors, she was shot and killed in what her parents have described as a preventable tragedy.
Jessica Gorman isn’t asking for sympathy. She’s asking for accountability.
As I listened to her speak, I couldn’t help but think of my own family.
More than twenty years ago, my 17-year-old niece, Elizabeth Butler, was murdered by a man who was in this country illegally. She was just beginning her life, filled with the same hopes and dreams that every young person should have. Instead, our family was left to bury a child and live with a loss that never truly fades.
That experience has shaped how I view this issue ever since.
This isn’t about condemning the millions of people who have come to America legally, worked hard, obeyed our laws, and become valued members of our communities. They deserve our respect.
It is about recognizing that government has a fundamental obligation to enforce our immigration laws and to protect innocent people. When that responsibility breaks down, the consequences are measured not in statistics or political talking points, but in shattered families.
Here in the Hudson Valley, we shouldn’t dismiss Sheridan’s murder as something that happened hundreds of miles away. Every parent, every grandparent, and every community has a stake in public safety. We all expect that when our children leave home for school, work, or an evening with friends, they’ll come back.
No policy debate will ever bring Sheridan back.
Nothing will erase the pain Jessica Gorman carries. And nothing will ever bring back my 17-year-old niece, Elizabeth Butler.
For Jessica, for my family, and for every family that has endured this kind of unimaginable loss, we owe them more than condolences. We owe them the courage to have an honest conversation about public safety, immigration enforcement, and the government’s responsibility to protect innocent lives.
The tears of a grieving mother should never be dismissed as politics.
They should be heard as a call to do better.
The Valley Viewpoint 