YORKTOWN – Congressman Mike Lawler (R, NY-17) is criticizing the progressive advocacy group Northern Westchester Indivisible (NWI) for holding immigration-related protests in Yorktown, arguing that the demonstrations were insensitive to the family of a local college student who was killed in March.
The criticism centers on protests organized in the hometown of Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old who was fatally shot near her college campus in Chicago on March 19.
According to federal authorities, the man charged in Gorman’s death is an undocumented immigrant who had previously been released from custody despite an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer. The case has drawn attention from immigration enforcement advocates and elected officials, including Lawler.
On May 30, Northern Westchester Indivisible held what it described as a “pop-up protest” at the intersection of Route 118 and Commerce Street in Yorktown. In a public statement, Gorman’s sister, Madelon, said the demonstration was painful for her family. Yorktown Town Supervisor Ed Lachterman also questioned the timing and location of the protest, asking why it was being held in the community following Gorman’s death.
Lawler said NWI organized another protest after those concerns were raised.
Lawler also criticized signs displayed at some NWI demonstrations, including signs comparing ICE detention facilities to concentration camps and others drawing comparisons between immigration enforcement officers and members of the Ku Klux Klan.
“Every candidate who relies on Indivisible volunteers owes the Gorman family an answer: Is this what your movement stands for?” Lawler said
Representatives from NWI could not be reached for comment for this story. NWI is a national grassroots organization that advocates for progressive causes, including immigrant rights and opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
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