A horrifying story out of San Francisco: In broad daylight outside of Pier 14 this past Wednesday, 32-year-old Kathryn "Kate" Steinle was shot and killed by Francisco Sanchez, an illegal immigrant who had previously been deported from the United States five times.
In an interview with an ABC affiliate, Sanchez said he kept returning to San Francisco because he knew there would be no effort to find and deport him. The city passed an ordinance in 1989 that prohibited officials from cooperating with immigration officials--meaning that San Francisco is a "sanctuary city."
ICE is now blaming San Francisco law enforcement for releasing Sanchez after drug charges against him were dropped. Sanchez had previously been convicted of seven felonies. Four of the seven were related to drugs.
Further, Immigration and Customs Enforcement says San Francisco had him in their custody earlier this year but failed to notify ICE when he was released.
"DHS records indicate ICE lodged an immigration detainer on the subject at that time, requesting notification prior to his release so ICE officers could make arrangements to take custody. The detainer was not honored," ICE said in a statement Friday afternoon.
Sanchez said in an interview that the shooting was an "accident" and that the shooting occurred while he was under the influence of pills he had discovered in a dumpster. He also said he felt "sorry for everybody."