The parents of a teenager killed by an undocumented migrant made New York’s sanctuary policies a central issue 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 House seat.
Tom and Jessica Gorman were among voters in New York’s 17th Congressional District who submitted questions for the televised News 12 forum.
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 accused Jose Medina, an undocumented Venezuelan migrant, in the killing. Medina had prior encounters with law enforcement but was released before the shooting.
With Jessica visibly emotional during the video call, Tom asked whether either candidate would back federal legislation aimed at overturning state sanctuary laws, including protections approved earlier this year by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic lawmakers in Albany.
The New York law prevents local police agencies from assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with detaining migrants who are in the country illegally.
Conley called Sheridan’s death “inexcusable,” but did not directly say whether she would support repealing New York’s sanctuary law.
“Government failed her, and we have to make sure that doesn’t happen again,” said Conley, an Army veteran who served as a military police officer.
“The safety and security of our families is something I will be unwavering in,” she added.
Her campaign website says Conley favors ending so-called 287(g) agreements, which allow local law enforcement to assist ICE with immigration enforcement—effectively aligning her with New York’s sanctuary policy.
Conley has argued that “border security is national security” and said immigration enforcement is necessary to fight violent crime, terrorism, human trafficking and gang activity. At the same time, she has criticized the Trump administration’s enforcement strategy.
She said ICE under President Trump was targeting “grandmas and nurses and people in our communities” instead of concentrating on immigrants accused of serious crimes.
Lawler quickly seized on what he described as Conley’s failure to answer the Gormans directly.
“What you didn’t hear from Cait was an answer to your question,” Lawler told the couple. He said Conley supports Hochul’s new law and reiterated his backing for federal legislation that would prohibit sanctuary jurisdictions.
“She would not support federal legislation to end sanctuary policies,” Lawler said. “Let me be very clear: I stand with you. I oppose Kathy Hochul’s disastrous new law, and I support any legislation that would end sanctuary jurisdictions in this country.”
Both candidates also 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 broad range of topics, including the economy, tariffs, energy bills, Israel and the Middle East, artificial intelligence, data centers, Social Security, Medicaid, congestion pricing and New York’s legal marijuana market.
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The candidates found common ground on several issues, most notably their opposition to the $9 toll for drivers entering Manhattan’s central business district. Conley broke with Hochul, a fellow Democrat who has strongly supported congestion pricing.
They disagreed over cannabis legalization. Conley said New York’s marijuana law has benefited the state, while Lawler argued that it has caused harm.
Lawler highlighted his support for legislation lifting the cap on state and local tax deductions, known as SALT, on federal tax returns. He said the change saved taxpayers thousands of dollars.
Conley criticized Lawler’s support for Trump-backed Republican budget bills that reduced funding for Medicaid and social programs. She also called the president’s tariffs “reckless,” arguing that they increased costs for residents.
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.
