Dean Johnson Comments for PolitiFact on Steinle Case

Dean Kevin R. Johnson commented for PolitiFact on the case of Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, an undocumented immigrant who recently was acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges associated with the death of Kate Steinle in San Francisco in 2015.

The case drew national attention during the 2016 presidential campaign when then-candidate Donald Trump referenced the shooting as justification for increased immigration enforcement. Zarate’s undocumented status was not a factor in the verdict because California law bars the mention of a criminal defendant’s immigration status at trial.

"The aim is to ensure that the jury focuses on whether the defendant is guilty of the crime that he or she is charged with, rather than punishing the defendant for his or her immigration status," Dean Johnson said.

Kevin R. Johnson is Dean and Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law and Chicana/o studies at UC Davis School of Law. He is an internationally recognized scholar in the fields of immigration law and policy, refugee law, and civil rights.