For the People (2018) s02e02 Episode Script
This is America
1 Yeahhh I've been down this road once before Just to let you know Just to let you know Tried and tried, I swore, oh, Lord Not to let you go Good morning, Ms.
Krissman.
- Not to let you go - Good morning.
- Baby, it's over - Good morning.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS.]
Baby, it's over Fifth floor.
Baby, it's over Ah, gracias.
Baby, it's over PHILLIPS: Ms.
Krissman.
Deputy Phillips.
- How's Evelyn? - She had a rough night.
I'm so sorry to hear that.
You won't say anything? Now, what kind of person would I be if I did that? Good morning.
- It was your anniversary? - Yeah, our fifth.
Cynthia surprised me with this trip to Yellowstone.
She loved the outdoors.
And what happened, Mr.
Covington? You know, we were just up on a trail, hiking.
- It was steep.
- She fell? She slipped.
Now, Robin, I know that there are people out there who believe that I had something to do with Cynthia's death.
I mean, I understand.
We live in a cynical time.
But what kind of a person would think something like that? Really? - He pushed her.
- Definitely pushed her.
He seems sad, though.
Men get sad when they don't have a wife.
LEONARD: If you actually murdered someone, why would you ever go on TV to talk about it? Well, I do like Robin Roberts.
Who is this guy, anyway? ROGER: Arthur Covington, one of the most successful criminal defense attorneys in Manhattan.
At some point in your career, you will lose to him.
Everyone does.
Except for me.
- I heard his wife died? - She slipped off a cliff.
Oh, I didn't realize he killed her.
Okay.
New cases.
Seth.
Chavez.
Ng.
Leonard, I need you on Mendelson.
My post office assault is going to trial.
In fact, I'm late.
I can do it.
- Oliver.
- I got it.
[SCOFFS.]
You like Robin Roberts, right? This is not a good morning.
[SPEAKING SPANISH.]
[SPEAKING SPANISH.]
[BOTH CHUCKLE.]
[SPEAKING SPANISH.]
I'm assuming from your presence here today the parties have been unable to reach a deal? Your Honor, the government has made a reasonable offer to defense counsel.
We're prepared to go to trial.
When can you be ready? We're ready right now, Your Honor.
We can start today.
I have a witness here, Merced Garcia, who was in the post office that afternoon and who is prepared to testify that Mr.
Boyd committed the assault as alleged.
Your Honor, can we have a minute? Triceratops? Stegosaurus? Never really knew the difference between a Triceratops and a Stegosaurus.
Triceratops has horns.
Well, I am not smarter than a fifth grader, apparently.
And you're not even a fifth grader.
You here with Dad? Velociraptor! We're going to work this out, Your Honor.
You're telling me I can take this trial off calendar? - Yes, Your Honor.
- Well, that's it.
Thank you both.
Mr.
Garcia? I'm sorry, we're not gonna need you after all.
- Uh, no? - No.
Thank you for coming in, though.
I'm sorry for the inconvenience.
It's okay.
Thank you.
- I-I can go? - You can go.
Kim! Merced Garcia? Mr.
Garcia, we're with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Do you have any identification on you? Identification.
Are you a citizen of the United States of America? I'm here for the trial.
Do you have any permission to be in the United States? He asked me to be here.
You can go talk to Mr.
Knox.
Uh, please.
Did you come here alone today? Uh, Mr.
Knox, please.
- We need to go.
- Sir, I [COMPUTER KEYS CLACKING.]
[SHOES SQUEAK.]
Do you know where my daddy is? TINA: Okay, young man.
We're gonna get to the bottom of this.
It's a big courthouse, and sometimes people get lost.
I get lost, and I've worked here a long time.
Do you know how long I've worked here? Since those guys were around.
[CHUCKLES.]
What is your dad's name? - Merced.
- And what is your last name, sir? Garcia.
Okay, Mr.
Garcia.
- Does your dad have a phone? - Yes.
Can you write the number down for me? [DIALING.]
Soy Merced Garcia.
Por favor How about your mom? Do you have other family members here? Mm, no.
Just Daddy.
Okay, well, your dad was in Courtroom 501.
We're gonna take a walk and see what we can find.
Daphne! Are you at the desk? - You're not Daphne.
- Ron Marin.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
How can I help you, Agent Marin? We're looking for a boy.
- A boy? - Approximately seven years old.
Last name Garcia.
We picked up his father, Merced, on the fifth floor.
Illegal entry.
Marshals tell us he came in the building with a boy.
No reason not to believe the marshals.
Have you seen him? No, I have not.
Anything else I can help you with, Agent Marin? Just contact us if you see him around.
I need your help.
- He's icing me out.
- Who? - Roger.
- Oh, yes.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid.
You're not.
You're definitely not.
- It's because of the Sarco case.
- Yes.
What do I do? Well, when I was in your shoes, I'd always go by your office and complain.
- You could try that.
- I should go by my office? Sounds weird when you say it.
I should just talk to Roger.
[CHUCKLES.]
And say what? "I'm so sad.
I'm not getting any work.
Please be nice to me I've given that speech many times I've just never been in this position before.
You know what you need to do? You need to go out and kill your own food.
- What? - Eat your own food? I don't know I've had lunch.
Kill what you eat.
Eat what you kill.
Eat what you kill! The point is, you need to make your own work.
Don't go looking at Roger for handouts.
Find your food and kill it! Is that what you did? No, I just went by your office.
[SIGHS.]
[DOOR CLOSES.]
Ramon, this is Jay.
Jay's gonna help us find your dad.
JAY: Hi, Ramon.
Nice to meet you.
Oh, cool.
A Troodon.
[IMITATES DINOSAUR ROARING.]
[LAUGHS.]
Is this yours? A Troodon is the smartest dinosaur.
Did you know that? Oh, you probably know that.
It also has three-fingered hands - and binocular vision.
- Oh.
She thought it was a Stegosaurus.
- Okay.
- [GIGGLES.]
Can you finish stamping those files while I talk to Jay? And you can stamp really, really hard.
[WHISPERING.]
Have they come back? No, but they'll figure out he hasn't left the building.
I don't know if he's undocumented, I don't know anything about his status.
Maybe this is a mistake.
Maybe he's been released.
I just know that I'm not handing over that little boy until I know where his dad is and we have some reassurance about where he's going.
He can't stay here, Tina.
He's staying here.
I'm staying here.
Until I know where his dad is and what happens if they take him.
Let me talk to the lawyer who was handling the case.
That might be the easiest way to find out where Merced is.
- Merced Garcia? - Yes.
That's not your case.
Why He was picked up by ICE.
What are you talking about? - In the courthouse.
- In the courthouse? - After my hearing? - Yes.
- Who told you this? - Tina.
He was cooperating.
He was a cooperating witness, and they picked him up in the courthouse? Yes.
And not just that.
He had a kid with him.
- A kid? - Yes, a boy.
- Where is he now? - He's still in the courthouse.
- This is totally outrageous.
- Yes.
He didn't want to testify.
I had to beg him to come in, and then they take him? In our courthouse? They are arresting parents dropping their children off at school.
They are getting motels to turn over guest lists and running Latino-sounding names.
They are looking at records of people who report domestic violence and arresting the victims.
This is where we are now.
This is what they do.
Now, what are you going to do? There's nothing we can do.
I will call over to ICE.
I don't think it will help.
Well, that's why I work on the other side of the street to help.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS.]
I started looking into this Covington murder.
- Why? - Kill what you eat.
What? Anyway, it's odd.
The forensics don't match his story.
What floor is supplies on? Binders are on 18, file folders are behind the copy room on 21, pens, pads, writing supplies on 19.
- What are you looking for? - Jason.
I borrowed $5 from him for a sandwich.
Where do you get a sandwich for $5? You know what I'm just gonna go to 16.
Jason's on 22.
[BEEP.]
But he's not in today.
It looks like she was shoved, then beaten on the head with a rock.
There's a motive, too an insurance policy.
- Just renewed and improved.
- Okay.
Got it, yes.
You guys already convinced me he killed her, and if he did, they'll charge him in Wyoming.
Now I have to get back to work here because I have work because I didn't piss off Roger.
Here's the thing, though he won't be charged in Wyoming because he can't be because Arthur Covington committed the perfect murder.
[CHUCKLES.]
You [GRUNTS.]
First the animals, now the national parks.
Bizarre and little-known and explosive legal fact even though all of Yellowstone is in the judicial district of Wyoming and most of it is in the state of Wyoming, small parts of it are in Idaho and Montana.
Yeah, okay, that's actually Idaho and that's Montana, but go ahead.
Anyway, the sixth Amendment to the Constitution says juries have to be drawn from the state and district where a crime is committed, right? Well, in Covington's case, that means a jury has to come from the Idaho section of Yellowstone because that is where Covington's wife died.
But that is impossible because nobody lives in the Idaho section of Yellowstone nobody.
Population 0.
- Did you make that? - I thought it would be fun.
This is the ultimate loophole.
A small stretch of land where you can commit crime with impunity even murder.
If you're smart and you want to kill someone, this is the place to do it.
[LAUGHS.]
That is the most insane thing I've ever heard in my life.
You're just making fun of the midwest, right? Kate.
I think you want to see this.
We believe that Mr.
Arthur Covington murdered his wife, Cynthia Covington, in the western area of the park right here in Idaho.
We intended to file charges against Mr.
Covington.
However, because of a disturbing jurisdictional deficiency, we are unable to do so You're right.
Yes, of course.
But unfortunately, that means you now need another case.
No, it doesn't mean that.
Arthur Covington lives and works in New York, which means if he planned the crime in New York, I can get him here.
[CHUCKLES.]
I am proud of you.
All big predator out on the hunt, eating your food and killing it.
Or the other way around.
The name Merced Garcia isn't coming up in the ICE Detainee Locator System, but without an Alien Registration Number, it's very difficult to track him.
And he may not even be processed yet.
Or accurately.
Look, I can try some contacts I have at the agency, but What about Ramon? You said he was at the courthouse.
I'm asking what if she turns him over to ICE? If that happens, he goes into a refugee resettlement facility.
Now, that could be in New York or Michigan or Florida.
He could be moved around.
He probably would be.
He'd be there for days or months.
There are rules, but the rules don't really apply anymore.
He could be kept in a cage.
He could be given psychotropic drugs.
He could be forced to walk around without shoes, to clean toilets with his bare hands, to sleep standing up.
He could be sexually abused.
You want to know what happens? This happens.
If Merced gets deported, Ramon very well might stay in the US, in foster care, not allowed to leave, in a kind of legal purgatory not a citizen, not free, not able to go home.
He just disappears.
TINA: [SING-SONG VOICE.]
Mr.
Garcia? [NORMAL VOICE.]
Are you hungry? You seem like you'd be good with puzzles, Mr.
Garcia.
Ramon? He told you to wait here.
- He said don't move.
- Yes.
Maybe he came back to find me and I wasn't here.
He always comes back.
He wanted to come back more than anything.
I know he wanted to come back.
He didn't leave you.
Then where is he? I know how scary and confusing this is, but I can't lie to you I won't.
We don't know where he is.
We're trying to find him, and I know that he wants to see you and talk to you.
I know how much he loves you and misses you.
He didn't want this to happen.
I also know he's not going to be coming back to this bench any time soon, and he'd want you to eat and play with this cool puzzle that I have instead of sitting in this boring hallway.
Will you come back with me? No.
- We need to take the boy.
- No.
Ms.
Krissman, you need to step aside.
Otherwise, you will be arrested for interfering with law enforcement.
I'm not stepping aside.
I'm not gonna move.
And I can assure you that arresting the irascible and eccentric but beloved longtime Clerk of Court for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is not gonna wear well on your service record.
I can assure you of that.
Now, there's another way we can handle this.
I can call the Chief Judge, the child's attorney.
This can be resolved civilly and legally, as if we were in a courthouse.
Or you can do this barbarically.
You have a job to do.
I understand that.
We all do.
But this is not your job.
I'm sorry, Ms.
Krissman.
Ms.
Krissman, is there a problem? What's going on? Deputy, I'm Agent Marin with ICE.
We need to take the child, and Ms.
Krissman is interfering.
I'll need to make an arrest if she doesn't step aside.
I'm not stepping aside.
Then I'm placing you under arrest.
Deputy, if you could help.
Now, what kind of person would I be if I did that? Roger, Knox, let's go.
Now.
Judge? [CHUCKLES.]
Well this is a first.
Let's have everyone take a step back, okay? Ramon, son, I'd like you to sit right over there.
- Agent, uh? - Marin.
Agent Marin.
You need to move back.
Now.
Your Honor, respectfully, we're not in your courtroom.
You have no authority to direct me or my fellow agents to do anything.
We're attempting to make a lawful arrest.
You are in my courthouse.
I'm responsible for the supervision of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
That's where we are.
That's why I am here.
I am not a potted plant.
And you're not going to make an arrest right now lawful or otherwise because there are three men standing right here with guns and badges who aren't going to allow you to make an arrest.
And I'm not gonna tell them to stand down until the adults here have an opportunity to talk this through.
Step back.
You don't have any authority to direct the marshals, either.
Marshals are under the Department of Justice, not the judiciary.
The United States Attorney makes this call.
Not you.
[SIGHS.]
Your Honor, can we take a second? Judge.
I'm with you on this.
I am.
But we've got a serious situation here, okay? We are in the Twilight Zone now.
I can hold these guys off with the marshals for so long.
I can get them to leave.
But when this goes into Washington and it will, soon to the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security, we know how that is going to end.
- Where's the boy's father? - He was taken into custody.
We don't know his current whereabouts.
- You guys don't know, either? - No.
Nobody knows where the hell he is? Arizona.
We found him.
Merced Garcia is in Arizona.
He's being deported.
Thank you for coming in, Mr.
Covington.
My pleasure.
You're entitled to have a lawyer present.
I think I'll be okay.
I'd like to ask you about the planning of this trip to Yellowstone.
Because you'd like to know if I did anything in New York in furtherance of the crime so you could establish venue here.
- Yes? - Yes.
Very good.
Well, Cynthia planned the trip.
Entirely on her own? Yes, it was her idea.
She bought the tickets, she bought the guide books.
[CHUCKLES.]
She even bought maps.
Maps.
She reserved the hotel, the car.
She even picked the hike, unfortunately.
I'm sure you found all this in that very well-organized stack of paper.
What else? You and your wife e-mailed one another a lot.
- Yes.
- Even from inside the apartment.
- [CHUCKLES.]
Yes.
- "I heard you making food downstairs.
Please don't leave your dirty dishes in the sink.
Arthur".
- Uh-huh.
- "Please turn down that awful music.
I have a deposition in the morning.
Arthur".
I did have a deposition in the morning, - and the music was awful.
- Well Is this really the best you can do? - What? - I asked about you.
I heard you were a rising young star in this office despite the fact that you went to the University of Virginia.
But this is so boring.
You changed your family's cellphone plan one week before going to Yellowstone to a carrier with no reception in the area of the park where Cynthia died because you didn't want her to be able to call for help.
That's better! Yes.
But I change our cellphone service every six months at exactly six months, and that's what I did here.
Try again.
You bought an expensive GPS watch at the airport so you'd know you were in the right area of the park when you pushed her over the side of the trail.
All right, first of all, I don't appreciate that.
The watch wasn't expensive.
It was reasonably priced.
But anyway, it was never used.
Still in the box at home.
Cynthia didn't like hiking.
She didn't like the outdoors, didn't like to fly.
But on her own, she designs a trip across the country in order to take a perilous hike in the backcountry? I've never liked the idea of the law as a living organism.
Mutating, adapting to social change.
I'm a conservative this way.
The law is the law.
Fixed.
Immutable.
Words with precise meanings.
And that's good.
But people change.
I guess that's what Cynthia did.
And you have the e-mails right there to prove it.
The trip was her idea.
It's been a pleasure, Ms.
Littlejohn.
Thank you for stepping up.
You changed, too.
- How long do I have? - I don't know.
Until the deportation hearing? Tina, I don't know.
They could come back anytime.
If the marshals are ordered to stand down from Justice, there's nothing I can do.
For him or for you.
You will lose your job if you push this too far.
Jill is sending someone to Arizona.
Maybe that helps.
I know how important this is to you.
I feel that.
But take the long view.
How long do you take the long view before you can't see the little things in front of you anymore? - Covington? - Yes.
I heard.
He's gonna get away with it.
- A lot of people do.
- Not like this.
He's using the law to commit a crime.
It's a puzzle to him.
A parlor game.
An LSAT problem.
And I'm here, and I should be able to catch him, and I can't.
And I aced the LSAT.
This is not what the law is supposed to be.
What's the law supposed to be? I ask that in all seriousness.
Isn't it supposed to protect a seven-year-old boy? The law is an amazing thing.
It's a powerful thing.
It is also incomplete.
Sometimes incomprehensible.
And right now, apparently, totally messed up.
So that's us.
Into the breach.
Maybe you're approaching this the wrong way.
You are the smartest person I know.
You are also the most human.
That's not something I hear a lot.
If Covington made a mistake and he did, somewhere, somehow it's not because he wasn't being smart, it's because he wasn't thinking like a human being.
Don't try to outmaneuver him.
Just be you.
Flesh, and blood, and beating heart.
[RADIO CHATTER.]
SANDRA: Mr.
Garcia.
My name is Sandra.
This is Ted.
We're from the Federal Public Defender in New York.
In New York? Yes.
I have a son.
- Ramon.
- Yes.
He's okay.
D-Do you know where he is? He's in the courthouse.
In New York.
C-Can I talk to him? They won't allow that right now.
I tried.
W-We will try again.
[SIGHS.]
I'm sorry.
[GASPS.]
I want to ask you a few questions, Mr.
Garcia.
For your hearing.
I will represent you in your deportation hearing, okay? When did you come into the United States? Two years ago.
Mm-hmm.
Are you employed? Yes, I-I work as a delivery driver.
Are you married? No, my my wife passed away.
[SIGHS.]
Does Ramon have any brothers or sisters? No.
Does Ramon have any specific medical conditions we should know about? No.
[SNIFFLES.]
No.
Oh, no.
Mijo Mijo.
[SNIFFLES.]
Mijo.
Okay, Mr.
Garcia.
I want you to try to get some sleep.
Do you me to lie down with you? Okay.
When my son was about your age, I used to read him a story called "Amos & Boris.
" - Do you know it? - No.
Well, it's a fine story about the unlikely friendship between a mouse and a whale.
They became friends because one day, the little mouse decided he wanted to build a boat, and he did, he built a boat, and then he sailed the little boat deep into the sea, and then one day, he fell off of the boat, and the whale saved him.
And for seven days, the mouse lived on the back of the whale, and they talked and ate, and the mouse ran up and down the back of the whale, and they became great friends.
The whale, Boris, finally dropped the mouse off on the beach, and they thought they'd never see each other again.
But years later, the whale got caught up in a great big storm and he ended up stranded on the beach, and the mouse, Amos, found him, and they remembered each other, of course, and the mouse, with the help of two friendly elephants, the mouse pushed the whale back into the sea.
And they were very sad because they had to say goodbye again.
But happy because they knew they would be friends forever.
They knew they would never forget each other.
"I have a deposition in the morning.
Arthur.
" "I told you.
I don't like soup.
Arthur.
" "I would like to have sex this morning after breakfast.
Ar thur.
" - Not my business.
- Arthur would like to have sex this morning after breakfast.
If it works for the two of you Arthur! It's an e-mail from Arthur Covington.
I really wouldn't get involved with him.
- Look what happened to his wife.
- This is his e-mail! He signs all of his e-mails "Arthur.
" Arthur, Arthur, Arthur, Arthur Arthur! Mr.
Covington, you have agreed to appear before this federal Grand Jury voluntarily, correct? - Yes.
- And you are aware, Mr.
Covington, that we are investigating the circumstances of the death of your wife, Cynthia, - in Yellowstone National Park, correct? - Yes.
Whose idea was it to take this trip to Yellowstone? Cynthia's.
And do you recall how or when she raised the idea? She sent me an e-mail about it.
I don't know the exact date.
I want to direct your attention to this e-mail, which I will mark as Exhibit 1.
"Honey, why don't we go to Yellowstone? For our anniversary? I've always wanted to see it.
Can we do it? Cynthia.
" Is this the e-mail that you are referring to? Yes.
Now, you and Cynthia regularly corresponded by e-mail.
- Is that correct? - Yes.
Even for regular, day-to-day activities? - Y-Yes.
- So, for example "I heard the doorbell downstairs, if there's a package for me, please leave it outside my bedroom door.
Arthur.
" You wrote that? [CHUCKLES.]
Yes.
So, in your mind, there's nothing unusual about the e-mail Cynthia sent to you proposing the trip to Yellowstone? It's, um Well, uh, it is written in Comic Sans, but that was Cynthia's favorite font.
In fact, Mr.
Covington, the e-mail Cynthia allegedly sent you proposing the Yellowstone trip is highly unusual, is it not, because that e-mail is the only e-mail of the 1,162 e-mails sent from Cynthia's account to you in which she signed her name? I don't see any significance in that.
You signed your name to every e-mail - you wrote to Cynthia, right? - Y-Yes.
KATE: And she never signed her name to any e-mail she wrote to you except for the one e-mail in which she proposed taking the trip on which she was killed.
I think the significance of that is that you wrote that e-mail.
- That's not true! - No? We checked Cynthia's cell tower records, and she was nowhere near her home computer when this e-mail was sent.
But you were.
Isn't it true, Mr.
Covington, that you planned to murder your wife in a place where you knew you could never be prosecuted? No.
That you knew the only way you could be prosecuted for the crime was if there was evidence you planned the crime from somewhere else.
No.
That in order to remove any doubt that you did not plan this trip to Yellowstone in order to murder your wife, you logged on to her computer and e-mailed the suggestion to yourself.
But you made a mistake, didn't you? You signed her name.
You forgot, or maybe you never even realized that normal people who write normal e-mails to their loved ones don't sign their name every single time.
I like words with precise meanings, too, so listen carefully, Arthur You are going to need a lawyer.
Your Honor, Sandra Bell on behalf of Mr.
Garcia.
Leslie Hammond for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Your Honor.
- Ms.
Bell.
- Thank you, Your Honor.
We are asking for bond for Mr.
Garcia in the amount of $1,500.
Mr.
Garcia has no prior arrests in the United States, no arrests or criminal convictions in Guatemala.
He was a cooperating witness in a federal prosecution in New York.
He appeared in that case voluntarily.
Mr.
Garcia is the sole caretaker of his seven-year-old son.
Mr.
Garcia poses no threat to the community, - he's not a flight risk - He is a flight risk, Your Honor, because he has no plausible relief from deportation, and therefore, no incentive to reappear.
He has every incentive to reappear because he not only has a plausible case for relief from deportation, he has a strong case.
And he wants to make that case, and he will make that case.
I will make that case.
But this is a bond hearing.
And factors for bond are threat to the community and flight risk, and there is nothing in Mr.
Garcia's record that Thank you, Ms.
Bell.
Bond is denied.
You can call the next case.
[SIGHS.]
Your Honor, Mr.
Garcia I've issued my ruling, Ms.
Bell.
Mr.
Garcia has a son who will be separated from his father Then Mr.
Garcia should've thought about that when he crossed over the border illegally with his child.
I've issued my ruling.
Bond is denied.
One more word out of you and I will hold you in contempt, Ms.
Bell.
One more word.
One more word.
Call the next case.
I've complained to ICE, to the Secretary directly.
We can hope this won't happen again, but we're at the end of the line now.
You can make a call The call has been made, Roger.
It has come in.
From Washington.
This needs to be cleaned up.
They're not gonna have a standoff - in the courthouse anymore.
- [ELEVATOR BELL DINGS.]
They're going to take the boy.
Then it won't just be the boy.
They're on their way? Soon.
I don't understand what's happening here.
What country is this? This is America.
This is not the America I know.
When I came here with my family, we had nothing, and we struggled, but we built a life here, and we were welcome here.
For years, my dad kept this little picture of Ronald Reagan above our kitchen table, with these quotes from him.
About immigrants.
"These families came here to work.
They came to build.
They brought with them courage, ambition, and the values of family.
" That is the America I know.
I am an immigrant.
I am the child of immigrants.
We were welcome here.
And today you probably wouldn't be.
This is America.
It expands and it contracts.
Advances and recedes.
Opens and closes.
This is a country birthed in freedom and built on slavery.
Separating families? They separated black families in America for 250 years.
What makes this feel so bad now is that we expect more.
And that's a good thing.
This pain is progress.
But do not forget who we are and where we came from.
I do not forget where I came from.
I grew up in West Baltimore, around the corner from where Justice Marshall grew up.
This Justice Marshall.
He knew my father.
He stood in my living room.
The elementary school I went to, Mt.
Royal, I went to because of him.
I'm here because of him.
He was the grandson of a slave, and he changed American law.
He changed the very idea of the Constitution! He made a document that considered him three-fifths of a man a document of liberation.
This is the America I know.
A beacon and a curse.
Light and darkness.
Hope and despair.
This is America right now.
But America never ends.
Mr.
Knox.
- This isn't what we agreed to.
- What? Mr.
Boyd's gun possession not being considered "relevant conduct" under the sentencing guidelines.
I specifically said "no" to that.
- That's not what I remember.
- Yes, it is.
You're just trying to reopen the deal by misrepresenting the conversation, hoping you can do just a little bit better this time, but I'm not in the mood for that, and if you want to press me on it, I will withdraw the offer and we will go to trial.
Do you want to press me on it? You waited too long.
The offer is withdrawn.
You want me to bring him back? I need him as a witness.
That case is over.
The plea deal fell apart.
The plea deal fell apart.
I I am trying this case.
I'm going to try it, and I'm going to win.
I will win.
And since Merced Garcia is a material witness, after I win, you can take your time sentencing Mr.
Boyd, and Merced will have to be here for as long as that takes.
It could be years, and you can order ICE not to take Ramon because you have determined that it's essential to Merced's well-being not to be separated from his son.
And it is within your supervisory powers as a Judge to care for witnesses in this way.
Those are your indisputable, inviolable powers.
This is what I'm going to do.
It's not my case, Mr.
Knox.
Then take it.
Go to Judge Reed and take it.
Because you can do that, too.
Ya Mr.
Garcia, sir? Lejos viajamos ya It has been an honor to have you here in my office, Mr.
Garcia.
Wherever you go.
Wherever you go.
You have a home here.
You are a child, you are a beautiful boy, and you are welcome here.
Y Querer libres vivir Abrazando Sueños no dejar ir En aviones y en botes Ya vienen para America Sin mirar atrás o antes Ya vienen para America El nido Hacia un nuevo lugar en que Es para ti
Krissman.
- Not to let you go - Good morning.
- Baby, it's over - Good morning.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS.]
Baby, it's over Fifth floor.
Baby, it's over Ah, gracias.
Baby, it's over PHILLIPS: Ms.
Krissman.
Deputy Phillips.
- How's Evelyn? - She had a rough night.
I'm so sorry to hear that.
You won't say anything? Now, what kind of person would I be if I did that? Good morning.
- It was your anniversary? - Yeah, our fifth.
Cynthia surprised me with this trip to Yellowstone.
She loved the outdoors.
And what happened, Mr.
Covington? You know, we were just up on a trail, hiking.
- It was steep.
- She fell? She slipped.
Now, Robin, I know that there are people out there who believe that I had something to do with Cynthia's death.
I mean, I understand.
We live in a cynical time.
But what kind of a person would think something like that? Really? - He pushed her.
- Definitely pushed her.
He seems sad, though.
Men get sad when they don't have a wife.
LEONARD: If you actually murdered someone, why would you ever go on TV to talk about it? Well, I do like Robin Roberts.
Who is this guy, anyway? ROGER: Arthur Covington, one of the most successful criminal defense attorneys in Manhattan.
At some point in your career, you will lose to him.
Everyone does.
Except for me.
- I heard his wife died? - She slipped off a cliff.
Oh, I didn't realize he killed her.
Okay.
New cases.
Seth.
Chavez.
Ng.
Leonard, I need you on Mendelson.
My post office assault is going to trial.
In fact, I'm late.
I can do it.
- Oliver.
- I got it.
[SCOFFS.]
You like Robin Roberts, right? This is not a good morning.
[SPEAKING SPANISH.]
[SPEAKING SPANISH.]
[BOTH CHUCKLE.]
[SPEAKING SPANISH.]
I'm assuming from your presence here today the parties have been unable to reach a deal? Your Honor, the government has made a reasonable offer to defense counsel.
We're prepared to go to trial.
When can you be ready? We're ready right now, Your Honor.
We can start today.
I have a witness here, Merced Garcia, who was in the post office that afternoon and who is prepared to testify that Mr.
Boyd committed the assault as alleged.
Your Honor, can we have a minute? Triceratops? Stegosaurus? Never really knew the difference between a Triceratops and a Stegosaurus.
Triceratops has horns.
Well, I am not smarter than a fifth grader, apparently.
And you're not even a fifth grader.
You here with Dad? Velociraptor! We're going to work this out, Your Honor.
You're telling me I can take this trial off calendar? - Yes, Your Honor.
- Well, that's it.
Thank you both.
Mr.
Garcia? I'm sorry, we're not gonna need you after all.
- Uh, no? - No.
Thank you for coming in, though.
I'm sorry for the inconvenience.
It's okay.
Thank you.
- I-I can go? - You can go.
Kim! Merced Garcia? Mr.
Garcia, we're with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Do you have any identification on you? Identification.
Are you a citizen of the United States of America? I'm here for the trial.
Do you have any permission to be in the United States? He asked me to be here.
You can go talk to Mr.
Knox.
Uh, please.
Did you come here alone today? Uh, Mr.
Knox, please.
- We need to go.
- Sir, I [COMPUTER KEYS CLACKING.]
[SHOES SQUEAK.]
Do you know where my daddy is? TINA: Okay, young man.
We're gonna get to the bottom of this.
It's a big courthouse, and sometimes people get lost.
I get lost, and I've worked here a long time.
Do you know how long I've worked here? Since those guys were around.
[CHUCKLES.]
What is your dad's name? - Merced.
- And what is your last name, sir? Garcia.
Okay, Mr.
Garcia.
- Does your dad have a phone? - Yes.
Can you write the number down for me? [DIALING.]
Soy Merced Garcia.
Por favor How about your mom? Do you have other family members here? Mm, no.
Just Daddy.
Okay, well, your dad was in Courtroom 501.
We're gonna take a walk and see what we can find.
Daphne! Are you at the desk? - You're not Daphne.
- Ron Marin.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
How can I help you, Agent Marin? We're looking for a boy.
- A boy? - Approximately seven years old.
Last name Garcia.
We picked up his father, Merced, on the fifth floor.
Illegal entry.
Marshals tell us he came in the building with a boy.
No reason not to believe the marshals.
Have you seen him? No, I have not.
Anything else I can help you with, Agent Marin? Just contact us if you see him around.
I need your help.
- He's icing me out.
- Who? - Roger.
- Oh, yes.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid.
You're not.
You're definitely not.
- It's because of the Sarco case.
- Yes.
What do I do? Well, when I was in your shoes, I'd always go by your office and complain.
- You could try that.
- I should go by my office? Sounds weird when you say it.
I should just talk to Roger.
[CHUCKLES.]
And say what? "I'm so sad.
I'm not getting any work.
Please be nice to me I've given that speech many times I've just never been in this position before.
You know what you need to do? You need to go out and kill your own food.
- What? - Eat your own food? I don't know I've had lunch.
Kill what you eat.
Eat what you kill.
Eat what you kill! The point is, you need to make your own work.
Don't go looking at Roger for handouts.
Find your food and kill it! Is that what you did? No, I just went by your office.
[SIGHS.]
[DOOR CLOSES.]
Ramon, this is Jay.
Jay's gonna help us find your dad.
JAY: Hi, Ramon.
Nice to meet you.
Oh, cool.
A Troodon.
[IMITATES DINOSAUR ROARING.]
[LAUGHS.]
Is this yours? A Troodon is the smartest dinosaur.
Did you know that? Oh, you probably know that.
It also has three-fingered hands - and binocular vision.
- Oh.
She thought it was a Stegosaurus.
- Okay.
- [GIGGLES.]
Can you finish stamping those files while I talk to Jay? And you can stamp really, really hard.
[WHISPERING.]
Have they come back? No, but they'll figure out he hasn't left the building.
I don't know if he's undocumented, I don't know anything about his status.
Maybe this is a mistake.
Maybe he's been released.
I just know that I'm not handing over that little boy until I know where his dad is and we have some reassurance about where he's going.
He can't stay here, Tina.
He's staying here.
I'm staying here.
Until I know where his dad is and what happens if they take him.
Let me talk to the lawyer who was handling the case.
That might be the easiest way to find out where Merced is.
- Merced Garcia? - Yes.
That's not your case.
Why He was picked up by ICE.
What are you talking about? - In the courthouse.
- In the courthouse? - After my hearing? - Yes.
- Who told you this? - Tina.
He was cooperating.
He was a cooperating witness, and they picked him up in the courthouse? Yes.
And not just that.
He had a kid with him.
- A kid? - Yes, a boy.
- Where is he now? - He's still in the courthouse.
- This is totally outrageous.
- Yes.
He didn't want to testify.
I had to beg him to come in, and then they take him? In our courthouse? They are arresting parents dropping their children off at school.
They are getting motels to turn over guest lists and running Latino-sounding names.
They are looking at records of people who report domestic violence and arresting the victims.
This is where we are now.
This is what they do.
Now, what are you going to do? There's nothing we can do.
I will call over to ICE.
I don't think it will help.
Well, that's why I work on the other side of the street to help.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS.]
I started looking into this Covington murder.
- Why? - Kill what you eat.
What? Anyway, it's odd.
The forensics don't match his story.
What floor is supplies on? Binders are on 18, file folders are behind the copy room on 21, pens, pads, writing supplies on 19.
- What are you looking for? - Jason.
I borrowed $5 from him for a sandwich.
Where do you get a sandwich for $5? You know what I'm just gonna go to 16.
Jason's on 22.
[BEEP.]
But he's not in today.
It looks like she was shoved, then beaten on the head with a rock.
There's a motive, too an insurance policy.
- Just renewed and improved.
- Okay.
Got it, yes.
You guys already convinced me he killed her, and if he did, they'll charge him in Wyoming.
Now I have to get back to work here because I have work because I didn't piss off Roger.
Here's the thing, though he won't be charged in Wyoming because he can't be because Arthur Covington committed the perfect murder.
[CHUCKLES.]
You [GRUNTS.]
First the animals, now the national parks.
Bizarre and little-known and explosive legal fact even though all of Yellowstone is in the judicial district of Wyoming and most of it is in the state of Wyoming, small parts of it are in Idaho and Montana.
Yeah, okay, that's actually Idaho and that's Montana, but go ahead.
Anyway, the sixth Amendment to the Constitution says juries have to be drawn from the state and district where a crime is committed, right? Well, in Covington's case, that means a jury has to come from the Idaho section of Yellowstone because that is where Covington's wife died.
But that is impossible because nobody lives in the Idaho section of Yellowstone nobody.
Population 0.
- Did you make that? - I thought it would be fun.
This is the ultimate loophole.
A small stretch of land where you can commit crime with impunity even murder.
If you're smart and you want to kill someone, this is the place to do it.
[LAUGHS.]
That is the most insane thing I've ever heard in my life.
You're just making fun of the midwest, right? Kate.
I think you want to see this.
We believe that Mr.
Arthur Covington murdered his wife, Cynthia Covington, in the western area of the park right here in Idaho.
We intended to file charges against Mr.
Covington.
However, because of a disturbing jurisdictional deficiency, we are unable to do so You're right.
Yes, of course.
But unfortunately, that means you now need another case.
No, it doesn't mean that.
Arthur Covington lives and works in New York, which means if he planned the crime in New York, I can get him here.
[CHUCKLES.]
I am proud of you.
All big predator out on the hunt, eating your food and killing it.
Or the other way around.
The name Merced Garcia isn't coming up in the ICE Detainee Locator System, but without an Alien Registration Number, it's very difficult to track him.
And he may not even be processed yet.
Or accurately.
Look, I can try some contacts I have at the agency, but What about Ramon? You said he was at the courthouse.
I'm asking what if she turns him over to ICE? If that happens, he goes into a refugee resettlement facility.
Now, that could be in New York or Michigan or Florida.
He could be moved around.
He probably would be.
He'd be there for days or months.
There are rules, but the rules don't really apply anymore.
He could be kept in a cage.
He could be given psychotropic drugs.
He could be forced to walk around without shoes, to clean toilets with his bare hands, to sleep standing up.
He could be sexually abused.
You want to know what happens? This happens.
If Merced gets deported, Ramon very well might stay in the US, in foster care, not allowed to leave, in a kind of legal purgatory not a citizen, not free, not able to go home.
He just disappears.
TINA: [SING-SONG VOICE.]
Mr.
Garcia? [NORMAL VOICE.]
Are you hungry? You seem like you'd be good with puzzles, Mr.
Garcia.
Ramon? He told you to wait here.
- He said don't move.
- Yes.
Maybe he came back to find me and I wasn't here.
He always comes back.
He wanted to come back more than anything.
I know he wanted to come back.
He didn't leave you.
Then where is he? I know how scary and confusing this is, but I can't lie to you I won't.
We don't know where he is.
We're trying to find him, and I know that he wants to see you and talk to you.
I know how much he loves you and misses you.
He didn't want this to happen.
I also know he's not going to be coming back to this bench any time soon, and he'd want you to eat and play with this cool puzzle that I have instead of sitting in this boring hallway.
Will you come back with me? No.
- We need to take the boy.
- No.
Ms.
Krissman, you need to step aside.
Otherwise, you will be arrested for interfering with law enforcement.
I'm not stepping aside.
I'm not gonna move.
And I can assure you that arresting the irascible and eccentric but beloved longtime Clerk of Court for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is not gonna wear well on your service record.
I can assure you of that.
Now, there's another way we can handle this.
I can call the Chief Judge, the child's attorney.
This can be resolved civilly and legally, as if we were in a courthouse.
Or you can do this barbarically.
You have a job to do.
I understand that.
We all do.
But this is not your job.
I'm sorry, Ms.
Krissman.
Ms.
Krissman, is there a problem? What's going on? Deputy, I'm Agent Marin with ICE.
We need to take the child, and Ms.
Krissman is interfering.
I'll need to make an arrest if she doesn't step aside.
I'm not stepping aside.
Then I'm placing you under arrest.
Deputy, if you could help.
Now, what kind of person would I be if I did that? Roger, Knox, let's go.
Now.
Judge? [CHUCKLES.]
Well this is a first.
Let's have everyone take a step back, okay? Ramon, son, I'd like you to sit right over there.
- Agent, uh? - Marin.
Agent Marin.
You need to move back.
Now.
Your Honor, respectfully, we're not in your courtroom.
You have no authority to direct me or my fellow agents to do anything.
We're attempting to make a lawful arrest.
You are in my courthouse.
I'm responsible for the supervision of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
That's where we are.
That's why I am here.
I am not a potted plant.
And you're not going to make an arrest right now lawful or otherwise because there are three men standing right here with guns and badges who aren't going to allow you to make an arrest.
And I'm not gonna tell them to stand down until the adults here have an opportunity to talk this through.
Step back.
You don't have any authority to direct the marshals, either.
Marshals are under the Department of Justice, not the judiciary.
The United States Attorney makes this call.
Not you.
[SIGHS.]
Your Honor, can we take a second? Judge.
I'm with you on this.
I am.
But we've got a serious situation here, okay? We are in the Twilight Zone now.
I can hold these guys off with the marshals for so long.
I can get them to leave.
But when this goes into Washington and it will, soon to the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security, we know how that is going to end.
- Where's the boy's father? - He was taken into custody.
We don't know his current whereabouts.
- You guys don't know, either? - No.
Nobody knows where the hell he is? Arizona.
We found him.
Merced Garcia is in Arizona.
He's being deported.
Thank you for coming in, Mr.
Covington.
My pleasure.
You're entitled to have a lawyer present.
I think I'll be okay.
I'd like to ask you about the planning of this trip to Yellowstone.
Because you'd like to know if I did anything in New York in furtherance of the crime so you could establish venue here.
- Yes? - Yes.
Very good.
Well, Cynthia planned the trip.
Entirely on her own? Yes, it was her idea.
She bought the tickets, she bought the guide books.
[CHUCKLES.]
She even bought maps.
Maps.
She reserved the hotel, the car.
She even picked the hike, unfortunately.
I'm sure you found all this in that very well-organized stack of paper.
What else? You and your wife e-mailed one another a lot.
- Yes.
- Even from inside the apartment.
- [CHUCKLES.]
Yes.
- "I heard you making food downstairs.
Please don't leave your dirty dishes in the sink.
Arthur".
- Uh-huh.
- "Please turn down that awful music.
I have a deposition in the morning.
Arthur".
I did have a deposition in the morning, - and the music was awful.
- Well Is this really the best you can do? - What? - I asked about you.
I heard you were a rising young star in this office despite the fact that you went to the University of Virginia.
But this is so boring.
You changed your family's cellphone plan one week before going to Yellowstone to a carrier with no reception in the area of the park where Cynthia died because you didn't want her to be able to call for help.
That's better! Yes.
But I change our cellphone service every six months at exactly six months, and that's what I did here.
Try again.
You bought an expensive GPS watch at the airport so you'd know you were in the right area of the park when you pushed her over the side of the trail.
All right, first of all, I don't appreciate that.
The watch wasn't expensive.
It was reasonably priced.
But anyway, it was never used.
Still in the box at home.
Cynthia didn't like hiking.
She didn't like the outdoors, didn't like to fly.
But on her own, she designs a trip across the country in order to take a perilous hike in the backcountry? I've never liked the idea of the law as a living organism.
Mutating, adapting to social change.
I'm a conservative this way.
The law is the law.
Fixed.
Immutable.
Words with precise meanings.
And that's good.
But people change.
I guess that's what Cynthia did.
And you have the e-mails right there to prove it.
The trip was her idea.
It's been a pleasure, Ms.
Littlejohn.
Thank you for stepping up.
You changed, too.
- How long do I have? - I don't know.
Until the deportation hearing? Tina, I don't know.
They could come back anytime.
If the marshals are ordered to stand down from Justice, there's nothing I can do.
For him or for you.
You will lose your job if you push this too far.
Jill is sending someone to Arizona.
Maybe that helps.
I know how important this is to you.
I feel that.
But take the long view.
How long do you take the long view before you can't see the little things in front of you anymore? - Covington? - Yes.
I heard.
He's gonna get away with it.
- A lot of people do.
- Not like this.
He's using the law to commit a crime.
It's a puzzle to him.
A parlor game.
An LSAT problem.
And I'm here, and I should be able to catch him, and I can't.
And I aced the LSAT.
This is not what the law is supposed to be.
What's the law supposed to be? I ask that in all seriousness.
Isn't it supposed to protect a seven-year-old boy? The law is an amazing thing.
It's a powerful thing.
It is also incomplete.
Sometimes incomprehensible.
And right now, apparently, totally messed up.
So that's us.
Into the breach.
Maybe you're approaching this the wrong way.
You are the smartest person I know.
You are also the most human.
That's not something I hear a lot.
If Covington made a mistake and he did, somewhere, somehow it's not because he wasn't being smart, it's because he wasn't thinking like a human being.
Don't try to outmaneuver him.
Just be you.
Flesh, and blood, and beating heart.
[RADIO CHATTER.]
SANDRA: Mr.
Garcia.
My name is Sandra.
This is Ted.
We're from the Federal Public Defender in New York.
In New York? Yes.
I have a son.
- Ramon.
- Yes.
He's okay.
D-Do you know where he is? He's in the courthouse.
In New York.
C-Can I talk to him? They won't allow that right now.
I tried.
W-We will try again.
[SIGHS.]
I'm sorry.
[GASPS.]
I want to ask you a few questions, Mr.
Garcia.
For your hearing.
I will represent you in your deportation hearing, okay? When did you come into the United States? Two years ago.
Mm-hmm.
Are you employed? Yes, I-I work as a delivery driver.
Are you married? No, my my wife passed away.
[SIGHS.]
Does Ramon have any brothers or sisters? No.
Does Ramon have any specific medical conditions we should know about? No.
[SNIFFLES.]
No.
Oh, no.
Mijo Mijo.
[SNIFFLES.]
Mijo.
Okay, Mr.
Garcia.
I want you to try to get some sleep.
Do you me to lie down with you? Okay.
When my son was about your age, I used to read him a story called "Amos & Boris.
" - Do you know it? - No.
Well, it's a fine story about the unlikely friendship between a mouse and a whale.
They became friends because one day, the little mouse decided he wanted to build a boat, and he did, he built a boat, and then he sailed the little boat deep into the sea, and then one day, he fell off of the boat, and the whale saved him.
And for seven days, the mouse lived on the back of the whale, and they talked and ate, and the mouse ran up and down the back of the whale, and they became great friends.
The whale, Boris, finally dropped the mouse off on the beach, and they thought they'd never see each other again.
But years later, the whale got caught up in a great big storm and he ended up stranded on the beach, and the mouse, Amos, found him, and they remembered each other, of course, and the mouse, with the help of two friendly elephants, the mouse pushed the whale back into the sea.
And they were very sad because they had to say goodbye again.
But happy because they knew they would be friends forever.
They knew they would never forget each other.
"I have a deposition in the morning.
Arthur.
" "I told you.
I don't like soup.
Arthur.
" "I would like to have sex this morning after breakfast.
Ar thur.
" - Not my business.
- Arthur would like to have sex this morning after breakfast.
If it works for the two of you Arthur! It's an e-mail from Arthur Covington.
I really wouldn't get involved with him.
- Look what happened to his wife.
- This is his e-mail! He signs all of his e-mails "Arthur.
" Arthur, Arthur, Arthur, Arthur Arthur! Mr.
Covington, you have agreed to appear before this federal Grand Jury voluntarily, correct? - Yes.
- And you are aware, Mr.
Covington, that we are investigating the circumstances of the death of your wife, Cynthia, - in Yellowstone National Park, correct? - Yes.
Whose idea was it to take this trip to Yellowstone? Cynthia's.
And do you recall how or when she raised the idea? She sent me an e-mail about it.
I don't know the exact date.
I want to direct your attention to this e-mail, which I will mark as Exhibit 1.
"Honey, why don't we go to Yellowstone? For our anniversary? I've always wanted to see it.
Can we do it? Cynthia.
" Is this the e-mail that you are referring to? Yes.
Now, you and Cynthia regularly corresponded by e-mail.
- Is that correct? - Yes.
Even for regular, day-to-day activities? - Y-Yes.
- So, for example "I heard the doorbell downstairs, if there's a package for me, please leave it outside my bedroom door.
Arthur.
" You wrote that? [CHUCKLES.]
Yes.
So, in your mind, there's nothing unusual about the e-mail Cynthia sent to you proposing the trip to Yellowstone? It's, um Well, uh, it is written in Comic Sans, but that was Cynthia's favorite font.
In fact, Mr.
Covington, the e-mail Cynthia allegedly sent you proposing the Yellowstone trip is highly unusual, is it not, because that e-mail is the only e-mail of the 1,162 e-mails sent from Cynthia's account to you in which she signed her name? I don't see any significance in that.
You signed your name to every e-mail - you wrote to Cynthia, right? - Y-Yes.
KATE: And she never signed her name to any e-mail she wrote to you except for the one e-mail in which she proposed taking the trip on which she was killed.
I think the significance of that is that you wrote that e-mail.
- That's not true! - No? We checked Cynthia's cell tower records, and she was nowhere near her home computer when this e-mail was sent.
But you were.
Isn't it true, Mr.
Covington, that you planned to murder your wife in a place where you knew you could never be prosecuted? No.
That you knew the only way you could be prosecuted for the crime was if there was evidence you planned the crime from somewhere else.
No.
That in order to remove any doubt that you did not plan this trip to Yellowstone in order to murder your wife, you logged on to her computer and e-mailed the suggestion to yourself.
But you made a mistake, didn't you? You signed her name.
You forgot, or maybe you never even realized that normal people who write normal e-mails to their loved ones don't sign their name every single time.
I like words with precise meanings, too, so listen carefully, Arthur You are going to need a lawyer.
Your Honor, Sandra Bell on behalf of Mr.
Garcia.
Leslie Hammond for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Your Honor.
- Ms.
Bell.
- Thank you, Your Honor.
We are asking for bond for Mr.
Garcia in the amount of $1,500.
Mr.
Garcia has no prior arrests in the United States, no arrests or criminal convictions in Guatemala.
He was a cooperating witness in a federal prosecution in New York.
He appeared in that case voluntarily.
Mr.
Garcia is the sole caretaker of his seven-year-old son.
Mr.
Garcia poses no threat to the community, - he's not a flight risk - He is a flight risk, Your Honor, because he has no plausible relief from deportation, and therefore, no incentive to reappear.
He has every incentive to reappear because he not only has a plausible case for relief from deportation, he has a strong case.
And he wants to make that case, and he will make that case.
I will make that case.
But this is a bond hearing.
And factors for bond are threat to the community and flight risk, and there is nothing in Mr.
Garcia's record that Thank you, Ms.
Bell.
Bond is denied.
You can call the next case.
[SIGHS.]
Your Honor, Mr.
Garcia I've issued my ruling, Ms.
Bell.
Mr.
Garcia has a son who will be separated from his father Then Mr.
Garcia should've thought about that when he crossed over the border illegally with his child.
I've issued my ruling.
Bond is denied.
One more word out of you and I will hold you in contempt, Ms.
Bell.
One more word.
One more word.
Call the next case.
I've complained to ICE, to the Secretary directly.
We can hope this won't happen again, but we're at the end of the line now.
You can make a call The call has been made, Roger.
It has come in.
From Washington.
This needs to be cleaned up.
They're not gonna have a standoff - in the courthouse anymore.
- [ELEVATOR BELL DINGS.]
They're going to take the boy.
Then it won't just be the boy.
They're on their way? Soon.
I don't understand what's happening here.
What country is this? This is America.
This is not the America I know.
When I came here with my family, we had nothing, and we struggled, but we built a life here, and we were welcome here.
For years, my dad kept this little picture of Ronald Reagan above our kitchen table, with these quotes from him.
About immigrants.
"These families came here to work.
They came to build.
They brought with them courage, ambition, and the values of family.
" That is the America I know.
I am an immigrant.
I am the child of immigrants.
We were welcome here.
And today you probably wouldn't be.
This is America.
It expands and it contracts.
Advances and recedes.
Opens and closes.
This is a country birthed in freedom and built on slavery.
Separating families? They separated black families in America for 250 years.
What makes this feel so bad now is that we expect more.
And that's a good thing.
This pain is progress.
But do not forget who we are and where we came from.
I do not forget where I came from.
I grew up in West Baltimore, around the corner from where Justice Marshall grew up.
This Justice Marshall.
He knew my father.
He stood in my living room.
The elementary school I went to, Mt.
Royal, I went to because of him.
I'm here because of him.
He was the grandson of a slave, and he changed American law.
He changed the very idea of the Constitution! He made a document that considered him three-fifths of a man a document of liberation.
This is the America I know.
A beacon and a curse.
Light and darkness.
Hope and despair.
This is America right now.
But America never ends.
Mr.
Knox.
- This isn't what we agreed to.
- What? Mr.
Boyd's gun possession not being considered "relevant conduct" under the sentencing guidelines.
I specifically said "no" to that.
- That's not what I remember.
- Yes, it is.
You're just trying to reopen the deal by misrepresenting the conversation, hoping you can do just a little bit better this time, but I'm not in the mood for that, and if you want to press me on it, I will withdraw the offer and we will go to trial.
Do you want to press me on it? You waited too long.
The offer is withdrawn.
You want me to bring him back? I need him as a witness.
That case is over.
The plea deal fell apart.
The plea deal fell apart.
I I am trying this case.
I'm going to try it, and I'm going to win.
I will win.
And since Merced Garcia is a material witness, after I win, you can take your time sentencing Mr.
Boyd, and Merced will have to be here for as long as that takes.
It could be years, and you can order ICE not to take Ramon because you have determined that it's essential to Merced's well-being not to be separated from his son.
And it is within your supervisory powers as a Judge to care for witnesses in this way.
Those are your indisputable, inviolable powers.
This is what I'm going to do.
It's not my case, Mr.
Knox.
Then take it.
Go to Judge Reed and take it.
Because you can do that, too.
Ya Mr.
Garcia, sir? Lejos viajamos ya It has been an honor to have you here in my office, Mr.
Garcia.
Wherever you go.
Wherever you go.
You have a home here.
You are a child, you are a beautiful boy, and you are welcome here.
Y Querer libres vivir Abrazando Sueños no dejar ir En aviones y en botes Ya vienen para America Sin mirar atrás o antes Ya vienen para America El nido Hacia un nuevo lugar en que Es para ti