Tipsheet

Mainstream Media Gives Little Airtime to Kate Steinle Verdict...Or Suggests Only White Nationalists Are Upset About It

Instead of being placed in jail for a very long time, Kate Steinle's murderer is set to be deported for a sixth time. The illegal immigrant, Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, shot and killed Steinle on a pier in San Francisco in July 2015. Her death prompted an introduction of Kate's Law, which strengthens maximum penalties against illegal immigrants who have been previously deported and returned to the United States. It also led to a renewed crackdown on sanctuary cities across America that harbor illegal immigrants against the purview of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Zarate was found guilty of a weapons charge, but acquitted of murder on Thursday night. It was a huge headline, considering the repercussions it's going to have on illegal immigration, but CBS News dedicated a paltry amount of time to the verdict. 

The Washington Post covered the verdict, but with a head scratching angle of its own.

"White nationalist and alt-right leader Richard Spencer announced on Twitter that he will be at Lafayette Square, just north of the White House, on Sunday afternoon 'to demand Trump build #KatesWall,'” WaPo writes, adding that more white nationalists have constructed a memorial to Steinle on the San Francisco pier where she was slain.

Many Americans were outraged by the Steinle verdict. How can they not be. Zarate had already been deported five times previously - there's no reason he should have been on that pier with Steinle. Why the WaPo decided to focus on white nationalists' anger escapes me. 

The House passed Kate's Law in June. With Friday's verdict, Attorney General Jeff Sessions is urging the Senate to get moving.

“It shouldn't take any time to pass additional legislation that would provide greater incentive and greater pressure on cities that are failing to cooperate with the federal government in basic immigration law,” he said.