White House calls on Congress to secure borders after verdict in Steinle case

The White House called on Congress to secure U.S. borders on Friday after an immigrant illegally in the U.S. was found not guilty of murdering Kate Steinle in 2015. 

“It’s more important now than ever for Congress to secure our borders and provide the resources, including more [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] officers, needed to deport criminal illegal aliens and to finally stop ‘sanctuary city’ policies that cause needless loss of innocent life,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. 

{mosads}”Politicians who fail to address these needs share responsibility for preventable crimes committed against innocent Americans,” she continued. “Had San Francisco enforced our nation’s immigration laws, the Steinle family would be celebrating this holiday with all of their loved ones.”

Sanders’s statement comes one day after Jose Ines Garcia Zarate was acquited of murder and manslaughter in the 2015 shooting death of Steinle. 

President Trump issued his reaction on Twitter, in which he expressed his desire to secure the U.S. border. 

“The Kate Steinle killer came back and back over the weakly protected Obama border, always committing crimes and being violent, and yet this info was not used in court. His exoneration is a complete travesty of justice. BUILD THE WALL!” Trump said. 

The Kate Steinle killer came back and back over the weakly protected Obama border, always committing crimes and being violent, and yet this info was not used in court. His exoneration is a complete travesty of justice. BUILD THE WALL!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 1, 2017

Conservatives have used Steinle’s death as a reason to rip sanctuary cities and advocate for more stringent immigration measures. 

Attorney General Jeff Sessions blasted sanctuary cities after the verdict on Thursday.

“When jurisdictions choose to return criminal aliens to the streets rather than turning them over to federal immigration authorities, they put the public’s safety at risk,” Sessions said in a statement.