Jessica Gorman, the mother of Sheridan Gorman, appeared on Fox News and called New York Gov. Kathy Hochul a liar after the governor said the state does not give sanctuary to people in the country illegally. In the clip, Gorman said Hochul has been on camera discussing the prosecution of police who call ICE and described the claim as laughable. The clip, posted on X, drew replies largely backing Gorman and challenging Hochul’s description of New York policy.
In the clip, Gorman responds to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s claim that New York does not give sanctuary to people in the country illegally. “She’s a liar. It’s just laughable. I’m literally laughing right now,” she says. She adds that Hochul is “on camera saying how they will prosecute the police for actually calling ICE,” then calls that “such a lie” and “such politics.” “She should be ashamed of herself. She is really, she is despicable,” Gorman says, before describing what has happened to New York in the last five years as “devastating.” The anchors are visible, but the clip does not show Hochul or the question that prompted the answer.
Sheridan Gorman, 18, was shot and killed in Chicago on March 19 while walking with friends, according to news reports. Her parents, who live in New York, have argued that a call from local police to ICE could have prevented the killing, and they have tied that claim to New York’s Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, which took effect in August and bars formal local agreements with ICE. Hochul’s office has rejected the sanctuary label. The clip does not show that statement.
How Viewers Are Responding to the Exchange
On the X post, most users sided with Jessica Gorman and treated Hochul’s sanctuary denial as untrue. One wrote, “She’s dead right. Hochul threatens cops for calling ICE, then swears NY isn’t a sanctuary state.” Another asked, “Why is Hochul refusing to tell the truth? We already KNOW what NY does.”
A third said, “Jessica Gorman buried her 18-year-old daughter. Hochul doesn’t get to call that mom confused about what sanctuary means.”
A smaller set of replies moved from the clip to the governor’s race. One user wrote, “Bruce Blakeman for New York Governor to fire Horrible Hochul.” Another said local signs reading “Fire Hochul” were showing up alongside Blakeman signs. A third argued Hochul would not take the issue seriously “until this happens to one of the prominent dems own family.”
Not every response agreed. One user wrote, “I feel sorry for her loss, but she seems unhinged.”
Away from X, A spokesperson for Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office told Spectrum News that anyone who claims the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act “prevents police from working with ICE and other federal law enforcement to apprehend or detain dangerous criminals either does not understand the law or is lying.”
The statement added that the law “keeps New Yorkers safe by ensuring public safety resources go towards combating crime in our communities.”
It is not clear whether the exchange will change the debate over New York’s immigration law. The clip is now part of a wider argument over sanctuary policy, with Gorman’s comments and Hochul’s office still on opposite sides.
