The parents of a college freshman killed by an undocumented migrant sharply criticized New York’s sanctuary policies during a heated congressional debate Monday night between Republican Rep. Mike Lawler and Democratic challenger Cait Conley, who are competing for the lower Hudson Valley’s 17th House District.
Tom and Jessica Gorman were among district residents who joined the News 12 televised forum to pose questions directly to the candidates.
Their daughter, Sheridan, an 18-year-old freshman at Loyola University Chicago, was fatally shot on March 19 while walking with friends near Lake Michigan. Prosecutors accuse Jose Medina, an undocumented Venezuelan migrant, in the killing. Medina had previously encountered law enforcement but was released before the shooting.
With Jessica fighting back tears during the video call, Tom asked whether the candidates would support federal legislation overturning state sanctuary laws, including the protections approved earlier this year by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic lawmakers in Albany.
The New York law restricts local police departments from assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with detaining migrants who are in the country illegally.
Conley called Sheridan’s death “inexcusable,” but declined to say whether she would support repealing New York’s sanctuary law.
“Government failed her, and for that we have to make sure that that doesn’t happen again,” Conley said. She also pointed to her experience as an Army veteran and former military police officer.
“The safety and security of our families is something I will be unwavering in,” she added.
However, Conley’s campaign website states that she supports ending so-called 287(g) agreements, which permit local law enforcement to assist ICE with immigration enforcement—effectively aligning her with New York’s sanctuary policy.
Conley said she views border security as a matter of national security and believes immigration enforcement is needed to fight violent crime, terrorism, human trafficking and gang activity. At the same time, she criticized the Trump administration’s enforcement strategy.
She argued that ICE under President Trump has targeted “people like grandmas and nurses and people in our communities” instead of concentrating on migrants accused of serious crimes.
Lawler seized on Conley’s refusal to give a direct answer.
“Well, Jess and Tom, what you didn’t hear from Cait was an answer to your question. She does support Kathy Hochul’s new law,” Lawler said, reaffirming his backing for federal legislation that would prohibit sanctuary policies.
“She would not support federal legislation to end sanctuary policies. Let me be very clear: I stand with you. I am against Kathy Hochul’s disastrous new law, and I support any legislation that will end sanctuary jurisdictions in this country.”
Both candidates said they would support assistance for Haitian migrants after the Trump administration revoked their temporary protected status in July. Conley blamed Lawler for failing to block the decision.
The hourlong debate covered a wide range of topics, including the economy and tariffs, energy and utility bills, Israel and the Middle East, artificial intelligence and data centers, the future of Social Security and Medicaid, Manhattan congestion pricing and New York’s legal marijuana market.
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Lawler and Conley found common ground on several issues, most notably their opposition to the $9 toll for vehicles entering Manhattan’s central business district. Conley broke with fellow Democrat Hochul, who has strongly supported congestion pricing.
Conley said New York’s cannabis legalization law has benefited the state, while Lawler argued that it has produced negative results.
Lawler highlighted his work on legislation lifting the federal cap on state and local tax deductions, known as SALT. He said the change saved taxpayers thousands of dollars.
Conley criticized Lawler for backing Trump-supported Republican budget bills that reduced funding for Medicaid and social services. She also called the president’s tariffs “reckless,” saying they have driven up costs for families in the district.
She said she would raise payroll taxes on Americans making more than $400,000 to preserve Social Security benefits.
Both candidates expressed strong support for Israel, including continuing military funding.
But Lawler asked Conley, “do you denounce [Mayor] Zohran Mamdani?” when complaining about the “antisemitic base” of the Democratic Party.
Conley shot back, “Do you denounce Donald Trump for the harm he’s caused to families in the Hudson Valley?”
The candidates repeated positions they had already laid out during the campaign.
Conley pushed renewable solar and wind power scaled back by the Trump administration to increase the energy supply.
Lawler championed reviving the Indian Point nuclear power plant and allowing gas extraction outlawed in New York to boost energy and help lower utility costs.
Conley endorsed Hochul’s one-year moratorium on construction of AI data centers in New York, while Lawler opposed it.
They both called each other liars for distorting their positions and Conley several times called Lawler a “lifelong political operative.”
Lawler and Conley are locked in a reported neck-and-neck race in a swing district that has become one of the most closely watched in the country — and could determine which party controls the House of Representatives next year.
The 17th Congressional District, which encompasses Rockland, Putnam and parts of Westchester and Dutchess counties, where a large portion of households have family members who are police officers, firefighters or veterans. About 20% of voters are Jewish.
Lawler, a former state assemblyman long active in GOP politics, is seeking a third term.
Conley is a US Army veteran and West Point graduate who worked in the Department of Homeland Security during the Biden administration. It’s her first foray into politics after winning a five-way Democratic primary.