Presidential candidate says death of Kathryn Steinle in what police say seems like a random attack is ‘yet another example’ of need for better border security

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A random fatal shooting in San Francisco, allegedly by an immigrant, proves the US must tighten its borders, presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Friday in comments likely to further inflame the immigration debate.



Kathryn Steinle, 32, was fatally shot as she walked with her father along Embarcadero pier on Wednesday in what San Francisco police described as an apparently random attack.

Hispanic leaders call for Republican candidates to condemn Donald Trump Read more

Police arrested Francisco Sanchez, 45, who has been deported to Mexico five times, according to local media reports.

Trump claimed the incident was “yet another example of why we must secure our border immediately”.

“This is an absolutely disgraceful situation and I am the only one that can fix it. Nobody else has the guts to even talk about it,” the billionaire developer and television personality said.

When announcing his plans on 16 June to seek the Republican nomination for president, Trump described immigrants from Mexico to the United States as drug-runners and rapists.

His comments prompted a widespread outpouring of criticism.

Comcast Corp’s NBC network cut ties with Trump and the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, and Spanish-language network Univision pulled the 12 July Miss USA pageant.

Department store chain Macy’s Inc said it would phase out Trump’s menswear collection and New York City said it was reviewing its contracts with the developer.

“Macy’s is a company that stands for diversity and inclusion. We have no tolerance for discrimination in any form,” Macy’s said.

Trump fired back, saying it was his decision to end ties with Macy’s. He also filed a $500m lawsuit against Univision for dropping Miss USA.