S.F. killing sparks national outrage, likely political fallout

Tom Ammiano may face questions on immigration if he runs for state Senate, in response to the killing of Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco. The man arrested in connection with the shooting death at San Francisco’s Pier 14 has a rap sheet with seven felonies, was in the U.S. illegally and has been deported to his native Mexico five times — and in April was released from San Francisco Jail despite immigration authorities asking that he be kept in custody. less Tom Ammiano may face questions on immigration if he runs for state Senate, in response to the killing of Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco. The man arrested in connection with the shooting death at San ... more Photo: Max Whittaker, Getty Images Photo: Max Whittaker, Getty Images Image 1 of / 51 Caption Close S.F. killing sparks national outrage, likely political fallout 1 / 51 Back to Gallery

The barrage of outraged tweets from GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump decrying the shocking San Francisco slaying of 32-year old Kathryn Steinle signals the start of what may be an intense immigration debate with potential fallout in California, home to the nation’s largest undocumented population.

Social media blazed with anger and frustration at the news that the man arrested in connection with the shooting death at San Francisco’s Pier 14 Wednesday has a rap sheet with seven felonies, was in the U.S. illegally and has been deported to his native Mexico five times — and in April was released from San Francisco Jail despite immigration authorities asking that he be kept in custody.

Particularly galling, many said, was that the release of Francisco Sanchez, 45, followed San Francisco Sheriff’s Department policies ordering the department not to comply with requested immigration holds based solely on allegations that a person is in the country illegally.

Ramping it up

Leading the pack of critics was Trump, the presidential candidate who ignited a political firestorm when he said last month that some Mexican immigrants are “rapists” and “killers.”

In a statement Friday, Trump said, “This senseless and totally preventable act of violence committed by an illegal immigrant is 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.”

A spokeswoman for San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee was quick to push back.

“A woman’s life was tragically taken away, and right now Mayor Lee is focused on understanding the circumstances and facts around this tragedy and this man’s release,” Christine Falvey said in an e-mail. “Mr. Trump’s opportunism and offensive anti-immigrant rhetoric have nothing to contribute to that effort.”

The sharp reaction dramatized how, in the run-up to the 2016 election, issues relating to criminal justice and immigration could become prominent at the national level and possibly fuel congressional calls to cut funding to San Francisco and other “sanctuary cities.”

At the state and local levels, political figures who have been associated with efforts to advocate for immigrants in the law enforcement arena may also face heat.

Heading that list is Kamala Harris, California’s Democratic attorney general and a former San Francisco district attorney. She’s widely considered the front-runner to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer — and her record on immigrants and law enforcement has long been fodder for conservative critics.

Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, up for re-election in November, and former San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, who may mount a run to replace termed-out state Sen. Mark Leno next year — may also have to answer questions about their roles in shaping the policies that led to Sanchez’s release.

The finger-pointing already has started.

Case by case

“Local law enforcement agencies can notify (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) or detain individuals that have been convicted of serious crimes or pose a risk to public safety or national security,” said David Beltran, a spokesman for Harris. “Based on state law and court precedent, the decision to notify ICE is voluntary, and ultimately must be decided by local jurisdictions based on their determination about what is in the best interests of public safety in their community.”

San Francisco’s mayor also doesn’t intend to let any blame land in his office, with his spokeswoman referring all questions on Sanchez’s release to Mirkarimi’s office, including inquiries on the sheriff’s “May 2014 order that expands on the city’s sanctuary policies.”

The brazen killing has put a renewed spotlight on San Francisco’s role as a sanctuary city — a designation it has held since 1989 — and on local and state laws passed with the support of pro-immigration groups concerned about family separations and deportations.

In San Francisco, city employees are barred from aiding ICE in raids, arrests or investigations unless “required by federal or state law, or a warrant.”

But critics are also seizing on the Trust Act, written by Ammiano and passed in 2013 by the Legislature, saying that only immigrants facing serious felonies can be held for federal immigration authorities, and allowing local sheriffs and police departments to treat federal requests for immigration holds as voluntary.

Harris — backed by pro-immigrant groups — defended the Trust Act, arguing that law enforcement agents cannot do the work of federal immigration officials because “it erodes the trust between our peace officers and the communities they serve.”

But critics say this case proves her wrong.

“This case is a very clear example of why ... people in law enforcement have resisted these political policies which San Francisco and Santa Clara counties have imposed on them,” said Jessica Vaughan of the Center for Immigration Studies, a conservative think tank in Washington. “These policies are an accident waiting to happen.”

The case “falls squarely within the responsibility of the San Francisco (officials) and the California Legislature, who forced the Trust Act,” she said. But “the Obama administration has openly encouraged these policies and made a policy change in 2014 that enables all these jurisdictions in California to have these sanctuary policies.”

Funding targeted

House Republicans are attempting to counter that. The House Judiciary Committee has already approved the Davis-Oliver Act — named in honor of two Sacramento deputies killed in 2014 — which could endanger federal funding for sanctuary cities like San Francisco.

In California, the issue could be a more immediate election year factor for Harris, who has long supported the sanctuary city effort as critical to families and immigrant rights.

Almost certain to be raised in her Senate race will be the case of Edwin Ramos, a longtime gang member from El Salvador, who was in the U.S. illegally in June 2008 when he shot and killed three members of a family in San Francisco — apparently mistaking Tony Bologna, 48, and his sons Michael, 20, and Matthew, 16, for rival gang members.

Critics said that under the sanctuary city policy, Ramos was shielded from deportation after he committed a gang-related assault and an attempted robbery as a minor.

Tom Del Beccaro, a GOP candidate for Senate, said Saturday that Steinle’s death raises critical questions regarding criminal justice and border security, and shows “the system is not working if we cannot keep out someone who has been deported this many times, with his record.”

With regard to Harris’ record, “It is fair to ask if she was reluctant to prosecute at home, how will she face up to ISIS?” Del Beccaro said.

Jessica Levinson, a political analyst and law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said there are dangers for any critic who attempts to use Steinle’s death as a broad template to attack immigrants who are in this country illegally.

“Politically, the timing is great for Trump, because he has this heinous crime to point to, a tragic incident that appears to be the poster child that he’s right,” she said. “But the truth is that undocumented immigrants are going to commit crimes ... as will the people who are born here.”

Fighting back

In the wake of the tragedy, Latinos have signaled that they will not tolerate efforts to turn immigrants into political targets.

Rocio Saenz, the first Latina to serve as executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union — a powerhouse backer of Democratic causes and candidates — pledged last week that Latinos will fight back against politicians who try to make political hay by attacking those in the country illegally.

“We’re throwing down the gauntlet, challenging the injustice, racism and ambivalence,” she said in a statement. “Get ready, here we come.”

Carla Marinucci is The San Francisco Chronicle’s senior political writer. E-mail: cmarinucci@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @cmarinucci