ABC’s Thomas: Killing of Kate Steinle by Illegal ‘Classic Example that Bureaucracy Can Kill’

THOMAS: "George, what a tragic case. And this may be a classic example that bureaucracy can kill. Federal immigration officials are pointing the finger squarely at local authorities. They say this criminal, as you say, deported five times should never have been released by the city. They say that Francisco Sanchez was handed over to the city because of an outstanding drug charge there. Prior to that, he had been in prison for being a repeat illegal immigration offender. The feds say there was a specific request to be notified once the local case was resolved, but that did not happen. San Francisco authorities claimed that one the drug charges were dropped, Mr. Sanchez was simply free to go. San Francisco is a safe haven city that does not detain undocumented immigrants. George, who is right is a subject for debate. The feds say they did everything by the book and never wanted this man on the streets. Should the locals have simply notified the feds when the case ended? Or should federal immigration officials have been more closely monitoring the case? A very sad story, George."