Court Dismisses Claims against Sanctuary Cities in Steinle Case
By: State & Local Government Relations
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled last week that despite San Francisco’s refusal to cooperate with federal authorities, the city is not liable for the wrongful death of 32 year-old Kate Steinle. Kate Steinle was killed in July 2015 by an illegal alien after his release from San Francisco custody, pursuant to the city’s sanctuary policy. (Order) The lack of adequate judicial remedies for victims of sanctuary policies underscores the need for legislative reform at both state and federal levels.
The accused murderer, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, is an illegal alien with seven convictions and five deportations under his belt. (FAIR Legislative Update, July 8, 2015) Lopez-Sanchez was previously in federal custody and would have been deported for the sixth time before he was transported to San Francisco to address a 20 year-old drug charge. (Id.) When the charge was thrown out by the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff’s Department refused to honor a detainer request to transfer Lopez-Sanchez to ICE. (Id.) Instead, the Sheriff’s Department, pursuant to its sanctuary policy, released Lopez-Sanchez back into the community. (Id.) Just a few months later, Lopez-Sanchez fatally shot Steinle at a popular tourist site in San Francisco.
http://www.fairus.org/legislative-updates/legislative-update-1-17-2017#5
