AP Published Dec 1st
"San Francisco's policy of refusing to honor ICE detainers is a blatant threat to public safety and undermines the rule of law. This tragedy could have been prevented if San Francisco had simply turned the alien over to ICE, as we requested, instead of releasing him back onto the streets. It is unconscionable that politicians across this country continue to endanger the lives of Americans with sanctuary policies while ignoring the harm inflicted on their constituents. Following the conclusion of this case, ICE will work to take custody of Mr. Garcia Zarate and ultimately remove him from the country."-Tom Homan, ICE Deputy Director.
The Department of Justice unsealed an arrest warrant Friday for Jose Inez Garcia Zarate on Friday, the illegal immigrant acquitted this week in Kate Steinle's murder trial.
Zarate was found not guilty of murdering Steinle on a pier in san Francisco in July 2015. Steinle was walking with her father and a family friend when she was shot and killed, then collapsed into her father's arms.
Zarate had been released from a San Francisco jail about three months before the shooting, despite a request by the federal immigration authorities to detain him for deportation. This case sparked a national debate over illegal immigration and sanctuary cities.
He was acquitted of first-and-second-degree murder, involving manslaughter and found not guilty of assault with a semi-automatic weapon. He was found guilty of possessing a firearm by a felon.
The arrest warrant was originally drafted in 2015 and amended this week to include violations related to the charges of a felon in possession of a firearm, involuntary manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon, all of which were filed after the defendant's initial arrest, according to Friday's warrant.
Also there is an existing federal detainer that requires Zarate to be remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals to be transported to the Western District of Texas pursuant to the arrest warrant.
Attorney General Jeff sessions said it's time for the United States to crack down on so-called "sanctuary cities," which refuse to cooperate with federal government in enforcing U.S. immigration law. Sessions said "the federal government and President Trump are crystal clear: We are doing everything possible to get these cities to reverse these policies; it's just amazing to me why any city would not want to rid itself of criminals who are also in the country illegally, why would they want to maintain them in this country when they're committing additional crimes against the peace and dignity of the city ?".
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