SLATER STANDS WITH GORMAN FAMILY, LAWLER AND BLAKEMAN TO DEMAND END TO SANCTUARY POLICIES

Assemblyman Matt Slater (R,C-Yorktown) joined Rep. Mike Lawler, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Tom and Jessica Gorman and local leaders at the Yorktown Police Department for a press conference to call on state leaders to reject policies that restrict cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.

For Slater, the fight is deeply personal. Sheridan Gorman was an 18-year-old Yorktown High School graduate and Loyola University Chicago freshman whose life was cut short when she was shot and killed in Chicago while walking with friends to see the Northern Lights. The individual charged with her murder is a Venezuelan national who was in the country illegally and had previously been arrested and released on multiple occasions.

Since Sheridan’s death, Slater has stood alongside Tom and Jessica Gorman as they have fought to ensure their daughter is remembered not simply for how she died but for the life she lived and the changes they hope her story can inspire.

“Sheridan wasn’t just another headline. She was a daughter, a friend and a member of this community. Her murder devastated the Gorman family, and it shook Yorktown to its core,” said Slater. “You drive around at night, you cannot go down a single street in this community without seeing dozens of green lights. Those green lights honor Sheridan, but they also signal to the Gorman family that we stand with them through all of this.”

Slater and those gathered specifically criticized the proposed “Local Cops, Local Crimes Act,” arguing the legislation would prevent local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration authorities in certain circumstances and threaten state law enforcement funding for departments that refuse to comply with those restrictions.

“New Yorkers believe government has one fundamental responsibility, and that’s to protect innocent people,” Slater continued. “How many families have to suffer before Albany realizes that we need to support our police and not tie their hands? We need laws that hold criminals accountable. We need to give law enforcement every lawful tool available to keep our communities safe, and we need to trust our local police officers, sheriffs and prosecutors to do the job that we’ve entrusted them to do.”

For Tom and Jessica Gorman, the issue is not an abstract policy debate. At the press conference, Tom spoke about being Sheridan’s father, the unimaginable loss his family continues to endure and their determination to fight for changes they believe could spare another family the same pain.

“I will always be Sheridan’s father. Being a father to my two girls has been the greatest privilege of my life,” said Tom Gorman. “For politicians, sanctuary policy is a debate. For me, sanctuary policies have a face. It is the face of my beautiful, spirited 18-year-old daughter.”

Gorman also recognized the leaders who have stood beside his family, saying, “Matt Slater stood up for Sheridan in Albany,” before adding, “This is what elected leaders are supposed to do. Choose the people who choose you. Choose the families who trusted you. Choose the citizens who must live with the consequences of your decisions.”

Congressman Mike Lawler praised Slater’s advocacy for the Yorktown community and the Gorman family while calling for local police to retain the ability to cooperate with federal law enforcement.

“Sheridan was not a statistic or a headline. She was a beloved daughter, sister, friend and student with her whole life ahead of her,” said Lawler. “Tom and Jessica have shown incredible courage in keeping her memory alive. Local law enforcement should have every tool available to protect the people they serve. We stand with the Gorman family, we honor Sheridan and we will never forget her.”

“An 18-year-old daughter, at the beginning of her life, gunned down by someone who should not have been in this country, because of sanctuary policies promulgated by those who have an agenda that is anti-American, anti-public-safety, pro-criminal. That needs to end,” stated Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. “Let’s do this for Sheridan’s memory. Let’s make something of her life that was cut short so early. Let’s give her family some comfort that she didn’t die in vain, by correcting these injustices that continue to happen throughout New York State.”

“This is about Sheridan, but it is also about making sure no other family has to experience the unimaginable pain that Tom and Jessica live with every single day,” concluded Slater. “Their courage has turned an unimaginable loss into a fight to protect other families. I will continue standing with them, I will continue telling Sheridan’s story and I will continue fighting for policies that put the safety of our communities first. We owe Sheridan that much.”