White House counselor Kellyanne Conway promoted the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act on Friday in the wake of the verdict in the Kate Steinle murder trial, saying the law takes away federal funding from "sanctuary cities."

"The No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, basically tells our major sanctuary cities you're not getting federal funding. You apply for DHS and DOH grants," Conway said on "Fox and Friends," referencing the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Health and Human Services.

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The House passed the measure, along with Kate's Law, in June.

A sanctuary city is one that does not help federal officials enforce immigration laws.

Conway's comments come less than a day after Jose Ines Garcia Zarate was acquitted of the murder charge against him.

Steinle was fatally shot by Zarate while walking the San Francisco waterfront in 2015. Zarate was residing in the U.S. illegally and had been deported to Mexico on five previous occasions at the time of the shooting.

Her death has been widely politicised, with conservatives using it as a reason to enact more stringent immigration laws.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsGOP set to release controversial Biden report Trump's policies on refugees are as simple as ABCs Ocasio-Cortez, Velázquez call for convention to decide Puerto Rico status MORE blasted sanctuary cities in the after the verdict on Thursday.

"When jurisdictions choose to return criminal aliens to the streets rather than turning them over to federal immigration authorities, they put the public’s safety at risk," Sessions said in a statement.

President Trump, who campaigned on stricter immigration laws, called Thursday's verdict "disgraceful."