Because San Francisco (and now the entire state of California, thanks to political gerrymandering by Governor Jerry Brown) has declared itself to be a so-called "sanctuary city," federal immigration laws that would have prevented this type of murder from occurring are no longer enforced within its jurisdiction. This means that illegal aliens like Garcia Zarate (formerly known as Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez), the man currently making national headlines for murdering Kathryn Steinle, are now free to roam about the city and wreak havoc without the threat of deportation.
Though Zarate was already known to have had quite the lengthy rap sheet before he decided to pull the trigger and send the deceased body of Steinle into the arms of her father that fateful day, San Francisco's official city religion of political correctness apparently forbids holding illegal aliens accountable for their actions. Instead, San Francisco functions as a refuge for these types of criminals, prioritizing their lives over the lives of legal citizens and their families.
Not only was the illegal Zarate not deported, but he was also found to be "not guilty" of his crime, even after confessing with his own mouth that he shot Steinle. He also admitted to a local ABC News affiliate that he specifically went to San Francisco because he knew that it was a sanctuary city, a.k.a. an open range for committing crimes without the threat of penalty or deportation.
"San Francisco and SFSD policy is to deny ICE detainer requests, barring special circumstances, such as a warrant for a suspected violent offender," explains Breitbart News about how criminal activity is handled in San Francisco. "The ICE detainer request was denied, and on April 15, 2015 Lopez-Sanchez was released. Two and a half months later Kate Steinle was killed."
What this all suggests is that San Francisco couldn't care less about the lives of honest, non-criminal citizens who live or travel there. It would rather play the game of political correctness in welcoming every lowlife from south of the border who wants to come there and pretend as though this reckless policy is somehow "progressive" and "compassionate."
Truth be told, the entire concept of a "sanctuary city" (or "sanctuary state") is antithetical to a free and safe society – especially for the native populations that end up being forced to live alongside potential criminals, many of whom are well aware of the fact that their privileged status affords them special rights to essentially commit whatever crimes they please without having to face justice.
As you and your family consider where to take your next vacation (or even where to live or relocate), you'll probably want to avoid all sanctuary cities, counties, and states for the protection of your loved ones. The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) lists the states of California, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon, and Vermont as currently holding sanctuary status. There are also a number of counties and cities within a number of other states that are also designated as having sanctuary status.
As we reported the same year of Steinle's death, sanctuary cities annually release tens of thousands of illegal aliens facing criminal charges, which puts untold numbers of law-abiding Americans at risk of victimization.
Sources for this article include: