A few weeks ago, nine precious souls were gunned down by a felon in a Charleston church, and many Americans have marched ever since to bring down the Confederate flag because of it.
A week ago, on the other side of the country in San Francisco, a vibrant young Bay Area woman was fatally shot by a seven-time convicted felon and illegal immigrant who had been deported five times and yet Americans – particularly progressives – have been slow to use or even connect the murder to denounce sanctuary cities, deportations failures or insufficient borders.
Let me clarify something at the outset: I commend South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in leading the way to balance and unity with the Confederate flag. Heritage is important, but when it's used as vehicle for hatred, something must be done. The Confederate flag needs to rest now in a museum telling its history while Old Glory flies high showing our unity. I am also glad that the memory of those eight victims shot in the Charleston church can live on and be memorialized through a decision to help minimize prejudicial sentiment – just the opposite of what their killer wanted.
But if Americans marched to redeem the loss of life in that Charleston church by the lowering of a Confederate flag, doesn't it also follow that we should seek to redeem the loss of life on that San Francisco pier by addressing the issues that probably caused it, like an inadequate immigration system?
Instead, those like Errol Louis, a CNN political commentator and host of "Inside City Hall," defend the notion that, "Sanctuary cities are not the problem."
To Louis, the 200 cities across America – like San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York – that refuse to enforce federal laws against illegal immigrants and, in so doing, harbor and protect them, doesn't bear any culpability in the slaying of that beautiful young Pleasanton woman, Kate Steinle, who was simply out for an evening stroll with her father on the popular Pier 14 when she was gunned down.
Whether one believes the gun was accidentally discharged or not, a seven-time convicted felon and illegal immigrant who had been deported five times was set free by U.S. officials to run the streets of San Francisco. And I'll show momentarily how the White House is not only allowing but also encouraging those releases.
Even Errol Louis admits, "If everything worked the way it's supposed to, local authorities would enforce traffic laws and minor crimes, and federal officials would independently chase down and deport those who violate immigration laws, especially drug dealers, violent criminals and gang members."
Instead, local, state and federal officials often play the blame game, like they did last week in San Francisco. Federal immigration authorities and local politicians blame the sheriff's office for not telling them the illegal thug was being released. And yet, the sheriff's department blames local and federal officials who exacerbate the minefield around sanctuary cities and tie their hands through a barrage of bureaucratic red tape benefitting illegals. (To add injury to insult, the .40-caliber pistol used in the Pier 14 killing belonged to a federal Bureau of Land Management agent.)
So, do you know who intentionally made it easier for that seven-time convicted felon and five-time deported illegal to roam the streets of San Francisco? None other than the residing occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. Let me explain.
Washington Examiner reported: "There are over 200 'sanctuary cities' in 32 states that give safe harbor to illegal immigrants, even violent ones with felony records like the man accused of killing a San Francisco woman last week, according to a new analysis."
Last Wednesday, the Center for Immigration Studies, or CIS, posted a map of the cities on its website. They explained how there are "More than 200 cities, counties and states across the United States are considered sanctuary cities. These state and local jurisdictions have policies, laws, executive orders, or regulations allowing them to avoid cooperating with federal immigration law enforcement authorities. These 'cities' ignore federal law authorizing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to administratively deport illegal aliens without seeking criminal warrants or convictions from federal, state, or local courts."
But here's the kicker: The CIS then lays the blame for the immigration chaos, sanctuary city bureaucracy and even alien felons straight at the door of the White House!
The CIS explains, "Although federal law requires the cooperation, the Department of Justice has never sued or taken any measure, including denying federal funds, against a jurisdiction. On the contrary, the present administration has made it difficult for the states and localities which choose to aid in enforcing immigration laws. Federal law was labeled voluntary by the administration in a November 2014 policy memorandum signed by the Homeland Security Secretary."
Dan Cadman, a fellow at the CIS, explained: "On November 20, 2014, the president gave a televised nationwide address to speak about the executive actions he would take the next day allowing millions of illegal aliens to live and work in the United States for the next several years.1Â Concurrent with the speech, Jeh Johnson, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary, published a series of 10 memoranda outlining and directing implementation of the various facets of the programs and policies that would constitute this sweeping and, in the view of many, unconstitutional 'executive action' relating to immigration matters."
Cadman continues, "One of those policy memoranda announced an 'end' to Secure Communities, a program that uses electronic matching of fingerprints to identify alien criminals in near-real time among the people arrested by police nationwide. Less noticed, but equally important, the memorandum also directed an end to the use of immigration detainers, which enable immigration agents to take custody of arrested aliens at the conclusion of their criminal justice proceedings, and upon release from custody or any sentence imposed for their crimes."2
Last, you wonder what the White House take is on the S.F. shooting? Not a word from President Obama, but White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest retorted to reporters, "The fact is that the president has done everything within his power to make sure that we are focusing our law enforcement resources on criminals and those who pose a threat to public safety. …" Really?
Then Earnest played the White House typical modus operandi record by blaming Republicans, "It's because of the political efforts of Republicans that we have not been able to make the kind of investment that we'd like to make in securing our border and keeping our community safe."
Despite not having all the evidence, Obama spoke publicly and immediately against the Charleston shootings – as he did those in Ferguson, Florida and Colorado. He even flew to South Carolina to give the eulogy at the minister's funeral. But he has yet to even mention the San Francisco atrocity or anything connected to it. Any wonder why?
Kate Steinle was laid to rest last Thursday at a private memorial with family and friends outside her hometown of Pleasanton, California.
Kate's mother, Liz Sullivan, put it well: "Hopefully out of this there will be stronger laws that will come about. Maybe this will facilitate something to expedite it."
An understandably distraught Sullivan further explained that her daughter said to her father as she laid shot in the back on Pier 14, "Dad, help me, help me."
Maybe it's time a nation helped.
(If the White House and mainstream media won't do it, let's remember and redeem the amazing, compassionate, and enthusiastic life of 32-year-old Kate Steinle by doing two things: 1) Call the White House and your representatives to better protect American borders, sovereignty and citizens from alien criminals in Kate's honor; 2) Join Kate's family and friends in giving to her GoFundMe page set up by her big brother, Brad, a few days ago. All the donations will go to causes dear to her charity-driven heart.)
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