President Donald Trump calls Kate Steinle verdict 'a complete travesty of justice'

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- President Donald Trump is weighing in on the surprising not guilty verdict in the Kate Steinle murder trial.

The White House has released this statement:

Yesterday's verdict in San Francisco underscores the danger to public safety when our Nation fails to enforce its laws. Kate Steinle was killed by an illegal immigrant and convicted felon who had been deported from the United States five times. He, and countless other criminal illegal immigrants like him, should never be allowed to threaten our citizens.

It's more important now than ever for Congress to secure our borders and provide the resources, including more ICE officers, needed to deport criminal illegal aliens and to finally stop sanctuary city policies that cause needless loss of innocent life. Politicians who fail to address these needs share responsibility for preventable crimes committed against innocent Americans.

Had San Francisco enforced our Nation's immigration laws, the Steinle family would be celebrating this holiday with all of their loved ones.

Early Friday morning Trump tweeted: "The Kate Steinle killer came back and back over the weakly protected Obama border, always committing crimes and being violent, and yet this info was not used in court."

On Thursday night he tweeted, "A disgraceful verdict in the Kate Steinle case! No wonder the people of our Country are so angry with Illegal Immigration."

A petition has been sent out to Trump supporters that calls for defunding sanctuary cities.

VIDEO: How the killing of Kate Steinle launched a battle over sanctuary cities

After six days of deliberations, the jury decided that Jose Ines Garcia Zarate did not intentionally kill the Bay Area woman at San Francisco's Pier 14 in 2015 and found him only guilty of possessing a gun.

Click here to look back at the events of the Kate Steinle murder trial.