Donald Trump has renewed his calls for tougher immigration controls in the wake of an illegal Mexican migrant allegedly murdering a woman in San Francisco.
The Presidential hopeful branded U.S. border controls an 'Absolute Disgrace' in light of the revelation that Francisco Sanchez, 45, had already been deported 5 times - and was Recently Released from Jail by Officials who Routinely Refuse Requests to Hand Over Illegal Immigrants. ( ???????????? )
Sanchez is accused of gunning down Kathryn Steinle, 32, as she walked along Pier 14 with her father on Thursday evening. According to the victim's family, the attack was entirely at random.
Random slaying: Kathryn Steinle (left), 32, was shot to death, apparently at random, by alleged shooter Francisco Sanchez (right) while walking with her father and a friend along a popular pedestrian pier on the San Francisco waterfront in broad daylight
Intervention: Donald Trump, pictured on the campaign trail in New Hampshire this week, weighed in over Twitter
And Trump, 69, used the crime to repeat his calls for more restrictions on Movement between Mexico and the United States.
From his Twitter page, the would-be Republican nominee shared a link to coverage of the attack and said: 'Our Southern border is totally out of control. This is an absolutely disgraceful situation. We need border security!'
He then continued: 'Our Southern border is unsecure [sic]. I am the only one that can fix it, nobody else has the guts to even talk about it.'
Opinions: Trump's strong words on Mexican border control accompanied a link to coverage of the San Francisco killing from right-leaning news outlet Breitbart
It came as immigration officials revealed that Sanchez should have been sent to them when he was arrested four months ago, but was let go in accordance with San Francisco's 'sanctuary city' policy.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement had marked him as an 'enforcement priority' who should have been handed over immediately.
But San Francisco officials admitted that due to a soft policy on undocumented immigrants, they do not always comply with the requests - which in Sanchez's case left him out on the streets on the night of the murder.
Trump has been at the center of a firestorm this week after business partners and associates rounded on him for his anti-Mexican rhetoric.
He has several times characterized Mexicans as criminals and 'rapists', and pledged to build a solid wall along the nation's southern frontier if elected.
NBC, Macy's, Univision and stars of his Miss Universe beauty pageant all cut ties with him in light of the comments.
And on Friday, NASCAR joined the growing anti-Trump group by announcing it would no longer hold its end-of-season awards ceremony at a Trump hotel in Miami.
Half an hour after his opening salvo, Trump also added a message of condolence to Steinle's family, also taking the opportunity to add 'we need a wall!'.
He later challenged other presidential candidates to match his statements - including a direct challenge to Florida senator Marco Rubio.
Since the Thursday killing, reports have revealed how Sanchez was already on probation out of Texas and should have been sent to federal authorities as an 'enforcement priority' following a Bay Area arrest four months ago.
Records indicate Sanchez had seven previous felony convictions and has been deported to Mexico on five separate occasions
Pledge: Trump has said that if he is elected president in 2016 he will oversee the construction of a solid wall between Mexico and the U.S.
Ready to rumble: Trump issued a direct challenge to Marco Rubio over the story
However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was never notified of that latest arrest before Steinle's slaying, NBC Bay Area reports. And he was instead allowed to walk free from a San Francisco jail.
The arrest was on a charge of selling marijuana, for which prosecutors declined to charge him. The date on which Sanchez was last released has not been disclosed.
Standard protocol called for Sheriffs--who ran the jail where Sanchez was last detained--to notify police upon his release, but that never happened, notes NBC Bay Area
Liz Sullivan, left, and Jim Steinle, right, parents of Kate Steinle, fight back tears as they recall how their daughter was shot to death right in front of her father's eyes during a family outing
'She was the most wonderful, loving caring person': Kate's brother Brad Steinle becomes emotional as he discusses his sister with a local reporter. 'I had the best sister.'
ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said Sanchez had a 'detainer' on his status, meaning federal officials had flagged him for detention with notification sent to state and local authorities.
Sanchez's felonies, four of which involved drugs, took place across multiple states including Texas, Oregon and Arizona.
He also had a slew of phony birth dates and aliases, says a source at KNTV.
The victim's grief-stricken family members, meanwhile, have already spoken out in tribute of their beloved daughter and sister
'She was the most wonderful, loving caring person and if anybody could take anything from this — if you love somebody, just tell them that you love them,' said brother Brad Steinle
Loved by all: Sullivan said her daughter, who went by Kate, was 'strong-willed and beautiful' and was loved by all of those who knew her
'Dad, help me': Steinle's father immediately began CPR before paramedics rushed his daughter to the hospital
'We loved Kate, and I will love her till the day I die,' Brad told ABC 7 as he fought off tears. 'I had the best sister.'
Kate's mother, 69-year-old Liz Sullivan, recounted the first moments of their family's nightmare to the San Francisco Chronicle. 'She just kept saying, 'Dad, help me, help me.''
Her father immediately began CPR before paramedics rushed the woman to the hospital.
'She fought for her life,' Sullivan said.
Sullivan said the killing was unbelievable and surreal. 'I don't think I've totally grasped it,' she said.
Jim Steinle said the shooting happened so fast it was hard to fathom it was actually happening.
'There was a pop, and Kate went down,' 68-year-old Jim Steinle tearfully recalled on Thursday
Weapon found: Divers sent to the murky depths of the waters around Pier 14 discovered a weapon, but it was not immediately clear if it was the one used to kill Steinle
Quick-thinking: Police Sergeant Michael Andraychak said witnesses snapped photos of Sanchez immediately after the shooting and the images helped police make the arrest while he was walking on a sidewalk a few blocks away
'There were no words exchanged between the suspect and the victim,' said Sgt. Michael Andraychak. 'The victim said something to her family members to the extent that she didn't feel well, that she just realized something had taken place and she fell to the ground.'
Police arrested Francisco Sanchez about an hour after the shooting. Authorities said he does not yet have a lawyer.
According to CBS San Francisco, the 45-year-old was on probation out of Texas at the time of the shooting.
After making the arrest, divers were sent into the murky depths of the bay around Pier 14 and discovered a firearm, though it was not immediately clear if it was this crime's murder weapon.
Police Sergeant Michael Andraychak said witnesses snapped photos of Sanchez immediately after the shooting and the images helped police make the arrest while he was walking on a sidewalk a few blocks away.
Kathryn's family told police the shooting was completely random.
'There were no words exchanged between the suspect and the victim,' said Sgt. Michael Andraychak. 'The victim said something to her family members to the extent that she didn't feel well, that she just realized something had taken place and she fell to the ground.'
Prior to her untimely death Kathryn Steinle had just sent her mother a photo of her, her father and a family friend on the scenic waterfront of the Embarcadero. Shortly after her mother was by her side in a hospital room.
'It was a battle, but she just didn't make it,' Kate's mother said.
'It was horrific, but we knew the minute they came to talk to us, it wasn't good. But it was so nice to go in and be with her.'
Sullivan told The San Francisco Chronicle that she softly touched her daughter's face before she died and remembered a time when her daughter was little and she used to decorate her with face paint.
'We have deep faith,' Jim Steinle said
'Our faith isn't to the point where we're ready to forgive '
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