00:00:21.770 --> 00:00:26.540
Tina over here. She's
our volunteer for today.

00:00:28.150 --> 00:00:32.900
She's new. Okay. We have
a lot of cases today,

00:00:33.120 --> 00:00:35.380
so I'm going to just jump right in. Oh.

00:00:35.380 --> 00:00:40.060
Right. Okay. I might not be able
to stay the whole day though.

00:00:40.940 --> 00:00:42.300
I have another obligation. Sorry.

00:00:42.970 --> 00:00:47.300
Okay. Meet our friends.
This is Harold Ola.

00:00:47.960 --> 00:00:52.860
No, he's from Barbados. He speaks
English. Say all do. Sorry. It's.

00:00:52.860 --> 00:00:53.940
Okay. We speak Spanish too.

00:00:54.720 --> 00:00:56.980
And this is Esmeralda, his daughter.

00:00:57.500 --> 00:00:58.280
Essie.

00:00:58.280 --> 00:00:59.110
Hi, I'm Tina.

00:01:00.850 --> 00:01:02.540
Well, we're still waiting on Melanie.

00:01:03.080 --> 00:01:06.900
I'm going to be prepping Eduardo
for his individual hearing.

00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:12.340
He goes after Ronaldo who's
in there right now? Well,

00:01:12.600 --> 00:01:14.260
not literally. He's in detention,

00:01:14.350 --> 00:01:19.060
which makes it even more important
for you to be in there taking notes.

00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:24.140
Do you have a pencil and
paper? I think so. Okay,

00:01:24.730 --> 00:01:28.620
I've got it right here. Here
you go. Thank you. Okay.

00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:30.950
I'm.

00:01:30.950 --> 00:01:31.780
Sorry.

00:01:34.490 --> 00:01:39.340
Okay. Do you know where to go?

00:01:39.770 --> 00:01:44.500
Yeah, just up the stairs there to the
left. I've been coming in for six years.

00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:47.740
Six years. What about a green card?

00:01:48.060 --> 00:01:49.860
I don't qualify. I'm countless.

00:01:50.420 --> 00:01:51.740
I thought you were from Barbados.

00:01:51.950 --> 00:01:56.220
Never had a birth certificate. Barbados
won't recognize me as a citizen,

00:01:56.640 --> 00:02:01.060
so the US can't depart me. I
have nowhere to go. I see here.

00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:05.580
Had no school today, so she bought
the notebook because she's a writer,

00:02:06.760 --> 00:02:08.500
so she's just going to
hang out and write all day.

00:02:08.900 --> 00:02:09.560
I herself.

00:02:09.560 --> 00:02:11.220
She'll text Nancy if she needs anything.

00:02:21.770 --> 00:02:26.500
Tina go. Ronaldo needs
you. Go. Okay. Okay.

00:02:27.900 --> 00:02:28.020
Attorney.

00:02:28.020 --> 00:02:30.900
Michael J. Williams.
Mr. Williams will begin.

00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:36.460
Mr. Perez received Mayan torture
ordered by the vice mayor

00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:37.820
of his own community,

00:02:38.640 --> 00:02:43.380
and now there isn't anywhere he can
safely live within his home country of

00:02:43.410 --> 00:02:44.240
Guatemala.

00:02:44.310 --> 00:02:48.460
There has to be more than mere difficulty
in controlling criminal behavior.

00:02:48.840 --> 00:02:51.900
The respondent must prove that his
home country, in this case, Guatemala,

00:02:52.440 --> 00:02:55.420
has a complete inability
to protect its victims.

00:02:56.130 --> 00:02:59.920
Your Honor, due to Mr.
Perez's indigenous nature,

00:03:00.350 --> 00:03:03.680
Guatemala will not protect him.

00:03:08.070 --> 00:03:11.840
Yeah. Sorry about that. Go on. Ms. Kovich.

00:03:12.450 --> 00:03:13.640
Other than this one incident,

00:03:13.660 --> 00:03:17.440
Mr. Perez has never been tortured before
and there's no evidence to indicate

00:03:17.640 --> 00:03:20.480
he'll be tortured in the future.
For all of these reasons,

00:03:20.660 --> 00:03:24.440
the Department of Homeland Security
respectfully submits that his application

00:03:24.440 --> 00:03:25.720
for asylum be denied.

00:03:29.270 --> 00:03:30.100
Tina?

00:03:31.200 --> 00:03:33.360
Melanie. Melanie. Hi.

00:03:34.720 --> 00:03:39.000
I don't speak Spanish. Hey Essie,

00:03:39.540 --> 00:03:40.520
can you come here a sec?

00:03:41.380 --> 00:03:45.960
Can you just help me explain
to her these are your

00:03:46.100 --> 00:03:50.080
asylum papers. You need to give them
to the judge when he calls your name.

00:03:50.720 --> 00:03:51.550
Essie.

00:04:04.940 --> 00:04:06.560
My daughter Marta.

00:04:10.420 --> 00:04:11.250
Ah.

00:04:12.460 --> 00:04:17.200
How old is she? Yes. Messes 10 months.

00:04:18.200 --> 00:04:21.240
Jennifer American citizen. Beautiful.

00:04:25.830 --> 00:04:27.440
Etsy. I'm going to go check on your dad.

00:04:36.260 --> 00:04:39.400
Hi. I'm here to check on my friend Harold.

00:04:39.400 --> 00:04:42.720
They're not letting anybody back
in there except the IA himself.

00:04:43.460 --> 00:04:43.910
Ia.

00:04:43.910 --> 00:04:47.480
Illegal alien. Okay.

00:04:48.220 --> 00:04:50.120
But I'll come find you
if there's a problem.

00:04:51.170 --> 00:04:51.820
Thank you.

00:04:51.820 --> 00:04:52.650
You're welcome.

00:04:57.150 --> 00:04:57.980
Where's Melanie?

00:04:58.620 --> 00:04:59.480
Oh, I don't know.

00:05:03.460 --> 00:05:07.160
She just has to get that
application stamped today.

00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:11.520
I thought this was just
about a court date. Yeah, but

00:05:13.050 --> 00:05:17.600
she's been here almost a year after
that. You can't apply for asylum.

00:05:18.730 --> 00:05:22.760
Why'd she wait so long? Because
she didn't know or to patrol.

00:05:23.590 --> 00:05:27.520
They don't tell you crap. I'm sorry.

00:05:27.720 --> 00:05:29.920
I shushed you in there. It's okay.

00:05:30.380 --> 00:05:35.120
You can't point at a judge
or show any disrespect

00:05:35.700 --> 00:05:40.570
or emotion. They'll take it
out on our friends. Got it.

00:05:42.620 --> 00:05:44.610
How's Harold? They.

00:05:44.610 --> 00:05:45.570
Wouldn't let me see him.

00:05:46.640 --> 00:05:47.470
Okay.

00:05:47.950 --> 00:05:52.050
You go back in there and
I'm going to go find Melanie

00:05:53.510 --> 00:05:57.720
and once the judge calls her
name, you stand up with her.

00:05:58.540 --> 00:06:01.560
Let him know she's not
alone in no emotion.

00:06:02.710 --> 00:06:06.160
Just smile. You ready?

00:06:11.180 --> 00:06:13.740
I make good grades in school
and I don't know them.

00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:19.100
Mr. Ramirez, please stick to answering
only the questions I'm asking.

00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:23.140
Is it true that you wear a
Chicago Bulls baseball cap?

00:06:24.330 --> 00:06:29.100
Sometimes the same baseball cap that
the MS 13 gang is known to wear?

00:06:30.980 --> 00:06:34.540
I like the bulls, that's why I wear
it. I'm not a member of any gang.

00:06:36.540 --> 00:06:37.860
I go to work right after school.

00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:41.740
Mr. Ramirez, please answer only
the questions that are being asked.

00:06:42.830 --> 00:06:44.100
Conducting removal.

00:06:44.210 --> 00:06:45.040
Proceedings.

00:06:45.340 --> 00:06:46.460
I a 2 0 3.

00:06:47.440 --> 00:06:51.020
Purity respectfully submits that his
application for asylum be denied.

00:06:53.280 --> 00:06:55.980
Can I have Melanie Lopez Mejia.

00:06:58.750 --> 00:07:02.380
These are removal proceedings
regarding Melanie Lopez Mejia.

00:07:02.700 --> 00:07:05.740
I a 3 1 9 7 8 4. Good afternoon.

00:07:08.330 --> 00:07:09.160
Good afternoon.

00:07:09.600 --> 00:07:11.860
Can you tell me what progress
you've made in finding a lawyer?

00:07:14.260 --> 00:07:16.140
I have gone all over but I can't find one.

00:07:16.470 --> 00:07:20.740
Judge because this is
the third adjournment for
respondent to retain counsel.

00:07:21.440 --> 00:07:24.260
The government is going to need plead
and removal submitted to the court next

00:07:24.260 --> 00:07:25.090
time.

00:07:26.230 --> 00:07:27.020
Judge, sorry.

00:07:27.020 --> 00:07:30.140
But she did get help with her asylum
application and would like to give it to

00:07:30.140 --> 00:07:30.480
you.

00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:31.310
May I approach?

00:07:31.520 --> 00:07:32.820
We can't discuss a silent,

00:07:32.960 --> 00:07:36.740
the court hasn't made a decision yet
on whether or not she's removable.

00:07:37.280 --> 00:07:40.140
We need to go over the
notice to appear. Ms.

00:07:41.800 --> 00:07:44.300
You received this notice to
appear. Do you remember that?

00:07:44.640 --> 00:07:48.380
Ask to be the latest.
Those require that? No. No.

00:07:49.690 --> 00:07:54.580
Well if you look at your
signature you'll see, oh,

00:07:54.580 --> 00:07:57.900
it looks like you refused
to sign it. In any event,

00:07:58.260 --> 00:08:00.100
I see a border patrol
agent gave it to you.

00:08:01.320 --> 00:08:02.740
She says she never saw this before.

00:08:03.620 --> 00:08:06.980
I will ask you the same questions now
that they asked you then so that we can

00:08:06.980 --> 00:08:08.340
get your answers on the record.

00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:13.020
You are a native and a
citizen of Honduras, correct?

00:08:15.200 --> 00:08:15.730
Yes.

00:08:15.730 --> 00:08:20.260
When you arrived in the US at or near
El Paso, Texas a year ago, correct?

00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:28.540
Yes. 10 months. Jennifer American citizen.

00:08:29.280 --> 00:08:32.220
And you were stopped by a border
patrol officer, is that correct?

00:08:35.560 --> 00:08:35.880
Yes.

00:08:35.880 --> 00:08:40.100
You have admitted to the allegations
which gives the court no choice but to

00:08:40.250 --> 00:08:44.500
sustain the removability
charge as listed. At this time,

00:08:44.760 --> 00:08:48.020
if you have an asylum application
you want me to look at, I will do so.

00:08:59.540 --> 00:09:03.320
We are making clear for the records
that the respondent has provided.

00:09:07.380 --> 00:09:12.140
Actually, I'm voiding this stamp
and returning the document.

00:09:12.140 --> 00:09:14.900
They're not thoroughly tab
nor double hole punched.

00:09:16.030 --> 00:09:16.480
Judge,

00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:20.300
can I give her the instructions on how
to file them properly with the clerk?

00:09:21.260 --> 00:09:22.260
I have them right here.

00:09:22.660 --> 00:09:26.420
I don't want to confuse her. She
needs a lawyer. We're adjourned.

00:09:31.040 --> 00:09:33.980
You had to plead to get him to look at
it and then he rejects it because it was

00:09:34.020 --> 00:09:38.060
a frigging hole punched. That's okay.

00:09:38.900 --> 00:09:43.620
I texted Nancy. Got it. Okay.

00:09:44.230 --> 00:09:45.660
Let's get started here.

00:09:49.080 --> 00:09:51.260
On, hold on to just take.

00:09:51.260 --> 00:09:53.820
That time. Do we have, oh God, we
have five minutes. Oh, five minutes.

00:09:53.820 --> 00:09:57.180
Five minutes. Here. Put that in.
This one. This labels. Labels.

00:09:58.590 --> 00:10:02.860
Lemme end back, get done. Okay.

00:10:03.160 --> 00:10:06.660
Oh God got it in

00:10:08.890 --> 00:10:13.580
just before it closed. Stupid OCD Judge.

00:10:14.140 --> 00:10:14.970
I know.

00:10:16.600 --> 00:10:21.540
And why is Eduardo's love for
the Bull's proof that he's

00:10:21.560 --> 00:10:25.700
MS 13? It's not. It's racial profiling.

00:10:26.570 --> 00:10:31.020
They do anything to get
rid of him. At least

00:10:32.530 --> 00:10:34.580
Ronaldo will be released.

00:10:36.150 --> 00:10:41.020
He'll get his daughter back if we can
find her and hopefully his wife can stay

00:10:41.080 --> 00:10:41.910
as well.

00:10:43.730 --> 00:10:44.900
It's because he had a lawyer.

00:10:46.280 --> 00:10:49.100
We have to get one for
Melanie and Ed Water's appeal.

00:10:52.270 --> 00:10:54.940
Thank you for staying the whole day.

00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:04.220
My father was Mexican,

00:11:07.610 --> 00:11:08.440
born in Texas,

00:11:12.250 --> 00:11:15.580
died in Afghanistan, serving this country.

00:11:17.680 --> 00:11:22.060
His country. Though he was
treated like an immigrant,

00:11:23.920 --> 00:11:26.620
didn't want me to learn
Spanish, have an accent.

00:11:31.730 --> 00:11:36.590
He wanted me to be like my mom. White.

00:11:49.060 --> 00:11:50.110
They took Harold.