Poll: Plurality of San Franciscans Say $190k Settlement with Illegal Alien ‘Sets a Bad Precedent’

A Survey USA Poll of adults in San Francisco conducted last week shows that a plurality of citizens say the city’s recently announced settlement for $190,000 with an illegal alien whom police reported to ICE sets a bad precedent.

When asked, “Does settling this case set a good precedent for the future? A bad precedent? Or does it not set a precedent at all?,” 41 percent of San Franciscans said the settlement sets a bad precedent, while 30 percent said it sets a good precedent.

Despite the plurality who say the settlement sets a bad precedent, 70 percent say the city should continue its sanctuary policies, while only 24 percent say they should be stopped.

San Franciscans split sharply along party lines on the issue.

Democrats want to continue the sanctuary city policies by an 81 percent to 15 percent margin.

Republicans want to end the sanctuary city policies by a 48 percent to 42 percent margin.

Independents want to continue the sanctuary city policies by a 60 percent to 32 percent margin.

Sixty percent of the poll respondents were Democrats, 11 percent were Republican, and 26 percent were independents.

Seventy-four percent of respondents aged 18 to 34 say San Francisco should continue to be a sanctuary city. That percentage drops with each age group. Fifty-nine percent of respondents over the age of 65 say San Francisco should continue to be a sanctuary city.

Forty-five percent of respondents agree with the city’s decision to settle with the illegal alien, while 40 percent disagree.

San Francisco’s sanctuary city policies were brought to national attention in July 2015 when an illegal alien, who had been deported multiple times but re-entered the country and was living in San Francisco under the protection of its local laws, shot and murdered 32-year old Kate Steinle on Pier 14 in San Francisco while she was walking with her father.

Last week, the House of Representatives passed Kate’s Law, largely on a party-line vote.

“Kate’s Law increases criminal penalties for illegal immigrants who repeatedly re-enter the country illegally. The bill is named for Kate Steinle, who was killed by an illegal immigrant who had been deported five times. Every year, countless Americans are victimized, assaulted, and killed by illegal immigrants who have been deported multiple times. It is time for these tragedies to end,” President Trump said immediately after the bill passed the House.

The poll of 500 adults in San Francisco was conducted by Survey USA on Thursday, June 29, one day after news broke that Pedro Figueroa-Zarceno, an illegal alien from El Salvador may be soon be receiving a $190,000 check from the City of San Francisco because “a San Francisco police officer directly contacted ICE and told them where to find [him],” as KPIX 5 reported last Wednesday, June 28, and has a margin of error of 4.5 percent.