Counties Edge Away from ‘Sanctuary’ Policies in Wake of Kate Steinle’s Murder

A small handful of counties have moved to begin cooperating with U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) to hand over illegal aliens, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Their decisions come in the wake of Kathryn Steinle’s shooting death, allegedly at the hands of illegal alien and convicted felon, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez of Mexico.

Four Bay Area counties have agreed to cooperate with ICE: Marin, San Mateo, Alameda, and Contra Costa. According to the Center for Immigration Studies — which put together a map of sanctuary cities using data collected from FOIA requests — San Mateo county’s previous policy was: “Will not honor ICE detainer within San Mateo County adult correctional system unless a rare exception arises in cases of individuals who pose significant public safety concerns, which would require case-by-case approval from the Sheriffs Executive staff.”

Now, San Mateo County promises full cooperation. Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern reported 100 illegals to ICE in the past seven weeks, though only 20 have been taken in so far. “We simply help ICE out and allow them to do their job,” he told the San Jose Mercury News. 

Steinle’s family has since pushed for Kate’s Law, which would mandate that previously-deported illegals caught sneaking back into the country would be sentenced to serve five years in prison — a proposed law that Univision anchor Jorge Ramos whines is “so unfair” to illegals.

“[T]he day she was killed, we were walking arm in arm on Pier 14 in San Francisco, enjoying a wonderful day together,” Steinle’s father testified before Congress. “Suddenly a shot rang out, Kate fell, and looked at me and said ‘Help me, Dad.’ Those are the last words I will ever hear from my daughter.”

“Everywhere Kate went throughout the world, she shined the light of a good citizen from the United States of America,” he continued. “Unfortunately, due to unjointed laws and basic incompetence on many levels, the U.S. has suffered a self-inflicted wound in the murder of our daughter by the hand of a person that should have never been on the streets in this country.”

Liberal governance broke down at every level in the Steinle slaying. Lopez-Sanchez allegedly shot Steinle with a stolen gun he found, a gun stolen from a U.S. Bureau of Land Management Ranger’s vehicle. As Breitbart News reported: “San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr said no one was assigned to investigate the June 27 break-in of a car belonging to a federal agent — a car from which a .40 caliber handgun was stolen and then allegedly used by Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez in the July 1 shooting death of Kathryn Steinle.”

Email Katie at kmchugh@breitbart.com. Follow her on Twitter: @k_mcq.