More than a week after the Department of Homeland Security said that Loyola University Chicago freshman Sheridan Gorman was murdered at the hands of an illegal immigrant, the school’s newspaper still features an Immigration and Customs Enforcement tracker, meant for tipsters to alert the paper about ICE operations in the area.
The editorial staff of the Loyola Phoenix announced last October that it had created a map to track ICE activities, soliciting tips about those activities from readers and the public at large. The tracker is highly-touted on the newspaper’s Instagram page, and is pinned to the top of the organization’s profile.
“While social media spreads knowledge quickly, it also has the potential to spread misinformation. As student journalists, we want to use our platform to create a consolidated location for verified ICE sightings to be documented during this historic time,” the post says.
“The Phoenix has created a map to pin the locations of ICE agent sightings,” it continues. “Anyone will be able to submit information to us, and we will verify it before posting it to our social media and website.”
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Gorman, 18, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of March 19 while she spent time with friends on the pier in the city’s Roger’s Park neighborhood. DHS officials say Jose Medina-Medina, 25, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, allegedly fired one shot at the Loyola University Chicago student, killing her.
Medina-Medina was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, and was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration, according to DHS.
Earlier this week, The Loyola Phoenix found itself in hot water after activists badgered the paper about using the term “illegal immigrant” in a story and the word “immigrant” in the headline.
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The paper’s editorial staff swiftly apologized and updated the language, dropping the relevant information about Medina-Medina’s immigration status.
A long editor’s note in the body of the article, originally titled “Immigrant Man Charged in Murder of Sheridan Gorman, DHS Involved,” explained that those terms were improper.
“That headline didn’t reflect the most important elements in the story, and it was taken down minutes later to prevent any further harm to affected community members,” the editor’s note said.
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“Additionally, in the body of the original post, we described the man who was charged as an ‘illegal immigrant,’ using language provided by the Department of Homeland Security,” it said. “That language does not align with Associated Press style, nor does it align with the values of this newspaper.”
“No human’s existence is illegal, and we quickly changed our wording to reflect that.”
The note conceded that the story’s language caused harm.
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“We acknowledge the harm such language can cause and the power and importance of the words we choose to use,” the note said. “We deeply regret these errors, and we’re committed to continuing the high standards we hold for ourselves as journalists and members of the Loyola, Rogers Park and Chicago communities.”
The alleged murder has caused a political uproar, as the Gorman family and local and federal officials have blasted Chicago and the state of Illinois for their pronounced refusal to cooperate with federal immigration officials.
Gorman’s family wrote a letter to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D-Ill. and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson demanding accountability.
“What happened to Sheridan cannot be reduced to a ‘senseless tragedy,’ nor can it be explained in general terms about public safety. Sheridan was our daughter. She was 18 years old. She was doing something entirely normal—walking near her campus with friends. She should be here,” the family said.
“Calling this ‘senseless’ is not enough. There must be a clear and honest accounting of what went wrong,” the family added. “We will not allow Sheridan’s life to be reduced to a talking point or a generalization. We expect leadership that is willing to confront hard truths and ensure that what happened to her does not happen again.”
Neither The Loyola Phoenix nor Loyola University Chicago returned requests for comment.
Fox News’ Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
