With Thursday night news that a San Francisco jury acquitted José Inés García Zarate in the killing of Kate Steinle, reaction about the verdict trended globally on Twitter, with the vast majority of tweets showing how Steinle’s death has just become a dog whistle for flat-out racism and xenophobia. Here is just a sample of the top tweets:

This is why California sucks, especially San Francisco. So now illegals & congress are immune to US laws. So sad for #katiesteinle & her family. #maga #trump https://t.co/vKiZ5HwGMI — ??EX-Liberal/Democrat?? (@drays56) December 1, 2017

To all the scumbag liberals who support ‘sanctuary cities’, are you happy one of your own (an illegal alien murderer) was acquitted tonight? Burn in hell you pieces of sh*t. #KatieSteinle — Cristina Laila (@cristinalaila1) December 1, 2017

To all the scumbag liberals who support ‘sanctuary cities’, are you happy one of your own (an illegal alien murderer) was acquitted tonight? Burn in hell you pieces of sh*t. #KatieSteinle — Cristina Laila (@cristinalaila1) December 1, 2017

BUILD THE WALL

Deport illegal aliens

Deport Dreamers

NO amnesty

Defund illegal Sanctuary Cities

Abolish corrupt Democratic policy Do it for Kate Steinle…#KateSteinle — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 1, 2017

Californian jurors, the same morons who acquitted O.J. Simpson of murder. America, these ppl just gave illegals permission to kill its citizens. This degenerate claims he meant to shoot a seal, not #KatieSteinle. @realDonaldTrump pls pull $$$ from Sanctuary San Francisco now! https://t.co/o9qfpmXLcy — ⓋSandieonthene† (@sandrafla) December 1, 2017

In all fairness, he’s probably better than anyone @TheDemocrats are using now… #KatieSteinle pic.twitter.com/m7lqa5BkmK — Dissident Patriot ن (@disspat) December 1, 2017

Patriots Demand That We

⚠️ #BuildTheWall ⚠️

Democrats Yelled “RACIST” Patriots Demand That We

⚠️#BanSanctuaryCities⚠️

Democrats Cried “UNFAIR” Katie Steinle Is Brutally

‼️Murdered By An Illegal‼️Protected By These Dems

Democrats Are Silent?? GET THE PICTURE? pic.twitter.com/MBaSJM00B1 — ⚡️Love??America⚡️ (@POLITICSandFUN) December 1, 2017

California, really San Fransisco, is showing white America what is coming for them w/ demographic chnage: liberal whites and nonwhites will not find murderers of white people not guilty if they are oppressed #KatieSteinle — vox spiritus (@idontwant00) December 1, 2017

Listen carefully to the arguments that the left used to justify the not guilty verdict for #KatieSteinle’s murderer. Jews have let this beast out of the cage & weaponized it through ed & media control. This is no joke. They can justify any action against whites now — vox spiritus (@idontwant00) December 1, 2017

In order for change to take place, people have to get a righteous anger going…this verdict, coupled with that arrogant public defender of that 7 time felon illegal alien, only served to poke that bear more than ever…Be afraid illegals…very afraid. #KatieSteinle — Good Day (@gooddayhowdydoo) December 1, 2017

President Trump Makes Adjustment to His Border Wall Construction Plans After Katie Steinle Verdict Comes In. pic.twitter.com/pXUVbO7xF0 — Flightcrew ?? (@flightcrew) December 1, 2017

Nonetheless, all this hysteria and fear was started by the Enabler in Chief, who took the time of Friday morning to make surehe riled up his base again:

A disgraceful verdict in the Kate Steinle case! No wonder the people of our Country are so angry with Illegal Immigration. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 1, 2017

The Kate Steinle killer came back and back over the weakly protected Obama border, always committing crimes and being violent, and yet this info was not used in court. His exoneration is a complete travesty of justice. BUILD THE WALL! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 1, 2017

The jury was not told the killer of Kate was a 7 time felon. The Schumer/Pelosi Democrats are so weak on Crime that they will pay a big price in the 2018 and 2020 Elections. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 1, 2017

You gotta blame someone and why not focus on an outlier in the debate, because in the end, Trump and his followers ARE winning the conversation because we as Americans are playing into the myth of the “criminal alien.” You don’t believe it? Just Google News Search the news about the Steinle verdict: there are plenty of mainstream outlets whose headlines paint the picture of the “illegal” getting freed. That is the narrative we are being exposed to daily, even though García Zarate’s situation is so rare, when it comes to actual statistics. But now we wake up to the lies that immigrants are terrorizing urban centers all over the country, because that is what sells. And by letting this happen (and Democrats are just at fault), we are allowed for the racialization and militarization of immigration to happen, just like we did post-9/11 for the war against terrorism.

This morning, immigrants are less safe on the streets of America because a President has made it acceptable for neo-nativism and racism to be the norms of our times. Steinle’s death is tragic, but what about the other deaths that we stay silent about? For example, just two months before Steinle’s death in 2015, a group of teens in Jupiter, Florida, decided to go “Guat hunting” and killed a Guatemalan teen. Where was the outrage then? Where was the anger? If we value life, shouldn’t we be consistent in all cases? Where are all the Onésimo Ramos-López tweets?

So forgive us if we step aside from the faux Steinle outrage and call it for what it is: a crass and disgusting political exploitation to justify anti-immigrant racism in the United States.