PHOENIX, AZ – Two weeks ago, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez allegedly shot and killed Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco. The Dream Action Coalition issued the following statement on the politics surrounding the tragedy:
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives will consider legislation that would force local police officers to serve as immigration enforcement officers. Such proposals would reverse years of intentional, community-based policing efforts that are vital to public safety in neighborhoods across the country.
Last week’s tragedy highlights an urgency for our elected officials to reform our outdated immigration system. Instead of having a serious policy discussion about ways to prevent these tragedies, however, Republicans like Congressman Grassley and Democrats like Senator Feinstein, our supposed allies, are rushing to introduce misguided legislation and place full blame on San Francisco. It has even been used as a political talking point for Trump and Hillary Clinton.
It is shameful both parties are using this case to add fuel to the flames of depicting our community as “rapists” and “drug traffickers” ignoring that fact that immigrants are less likely to commit serious crimes or be behind bars than the native-born.
We look forward to having a more productive conversation, but in a group of over 11 million, any one person’s story is just one small piece of a very large narrative.
