Conservative pundits defended Donald Trump’s controversial immigration comments this week with renewed vigor following the death of a young caucasian San Francisco resident, who was allegedly murdered by undocumented immigrant. Kathryn Steinle, 32 died after being shot, by Mexican citizen and undocumented immigrant Francisco Sanchez, 45, who has assumed responsibility for what he says was a freak accident. Sanchez reportedly has a drug problem, prior felonies and prior deportations, but no violent convictions. Trump, who is running for president, took to Twitter on over the weekend to cite Steinle’s death as a confirmation of his past arguments that most Mexican immigrants are criminals.
"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," Trump said in a statement issued last Friday. "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. That won't happen if I become President."
Steinle’s death has become a hook for a renewed discussion on immigration, from White House enforcement, to sanctuary cities, to Bill O’Reilly’s call for increased punishments for repeat immigration law violators. The Fox News host took to his “O’Reilly Factor” program on Monday to demand those punishments and also to defend Trump’s comments. He criticized the sanctuary cities policies of “crazy left San Francisco people” as well as the media’s “vilification” of Donald Trump.
"Racial politics drives the law these days, which is why Trump caught so much hell. [If you criticise immigration policy] as Trump did, you’re a racist, a piñata for the open border crowd to bash,” O’Reilly said.
What about the undocumented immigrant with a record who killed the beautiful young women (in front of her father) in San Fran. Get smart!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 4, 2015Trump’s comments have certainly confirmed that he’s willing to, as rival Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry recently said, “paint [immigrants] with that broad a brush.” The details of Steinle’s may make the “murder” a poor case study on immigrant crime. While the stereotype of immigrants is that of predatory drug-running gangsters, Sanchez may have simply been a mess. He claimed to have found the gun under a bench after eating sleeping pills. He told a local news station that that the gun went off, three times. His recent confession is full of red flags, but there’s little evidence that the “murder” was an intentional assault, let alone a robbery or assassination. That hasn’t slowed down immigration critics like Ann Coulter, whose recent book Adios, America tries to connect Mexican immigrants to a culture of criminality.
“We can’t know how many Americans were killed this weekend by illegal immigrants, whether in drunk driving accidents or heinous murders like this one in San Francisco,” Coulter, a political columnist and author told Fox News.
Coulter has criticized crime statistics recordkeeping for not tracking immigrant status enough. She went on to defend Trump against his critics.
“I’m so sick of this nonsense about Donald Trump being the racist here,” she continued. “He’s the one speaking for working-class Americans,” Coulter said.
Coulter also criticised former Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who she has long supported, for his own criticism of Trump. Romney called Trump’s comments about Mexicans “a severe error.” Coulter argued that Trump shouldn’t be the won to get called out by the GOP’s former standard-bearer.
“Trump speaks in a blunt, harsh manner that Romney doesn’t have to speak in. So what? You have to leap out and condemn him? What about condemning Jeb for calling illegal immigration an ‘act of love?’” Coulter said, in reference to Jeb Bush’s pro-immigrant stance and past declaration that migrants come to the U.S. to support their families.
O’Reilly took a slightly softer tone, arguing that while the government should crack down on criminals, most immigrants are just trying to find a better.
“The poor people sneaking here to paint your house aren’t the problem [...] cowardly politicians are the problem. That’s what Donald Trump should have said.”
Meanwhile, conservative blogs and op-eds have gone to town on Steinle’s death. Here are a sample of the headlines:
San Francisco 'sanctuary' killing: Why is our political class letting illegals harm Americans?
California Woman KILLED by Illegal Alien due to Obama Amnesty
No doubt, Steinle’s death ignited and impassioned some factions in the immigration debate. As more is learned about her death and about Sanchez’s role as a shooter, evidence for a “blood-is-on-your-hands” narrative may fade. Yet for now the alleged murder of this “beautiful young women” by frazzled undocumented immigrant has fired up Trump’s supporters; one more anecdote to fuel a questionable inference about some 11 million undocumented immigrants and eve more legal Mexican immigrants.
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