Democrat Rebecca Cooke, a congressional candidate in Wisconsin, held a weekend fundraiser with Rahm Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor, Obama's chief of staff, and a key architect of Chicago’s sanctuary city policies, as she continues to signal opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.
Emanuel served as White House chief of staff under President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, and helped to shape an administration that embraced open-border policies, saw record illegal crossings, and expanded catch-and-release practices that have resulted in the deaths of thousands of Americans each year.
While the Trump administration has begun rolling back those policies, the impact of prior administrations' disastrous policies is still being felt. Over the weekend in Chicago, an illegal immigrant was accused of executing Loyola student Sheridan Gorman. The suspect had reportedly been released twice under the Biden administration, raising questions about whether the tragedy could have been prevented.
BREAKING: DHS confirms that the suspect in custody for murdering Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman in Chicago is a Venezuelan illegal alien who was caught & released at the border by the Biden administration in May 2023. DHS says he was also released from local custody… pic.twitter.com/tIo3iSualm
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) March 22, 2026
Meet Chicago Democrat and 49th Ward Alderwoman Maria Hadden, who pretty much blamed Sheridan Gorman for her own murder:
— Gina Milan (@ginamilan_) March 23, 2026
“The kids were out doing normal things people do in the neighborhood. And it sounds like this might have been a wrong-place, wrong-time situation, running into… pic.twitter.com/QkJnRGqIaG
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Meanwhile, Cooke seems to be supporting an architect of those policies as she runs for Congress.
This comes as Cooke has characterized ICE enforcement operations as "disgusting and wrong," and refused to answer questions about her position on abolishing ICE, or the Trump administration's deportation campaign.
Wisconsin Democrat Rebecca Cooke says she thinks ICE law enforcement removing violent criminal illegals is "disgusting and wrong"
— NRCC (@NRCC) September 29, 2025
What's disgusting is @RebeccaforWI putting criminal illegals before law-abiding Americans! pic.twitter.com/c8xkf36Ica
🚨YIKES: Democrat Rebecca Cooke FLEES THE SCENE when confronted about calling ICE 'Disgusting!'
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 5, 2026
"Do you support the deportation of illegal immigrants that r*pe and murder U.S. citizens?"
"Why did you call ICE disgusting?"
"Do you support the abolishment of ICE?"
These… pic.twitter.com/NBPokZGoTc
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