Original subtitles

Wait a minute, you're here illegally?

Jesse! What do you want with him?

We have reason to believe he might be an illegal alien.

I now pronounce you

man and wife.

If you're thinking about running, don't.

You won't have a chance in hell.

And I don't want anybody to be sad.

Because remember...

Jesse Velasquez will return.

You got a license to do this.

License?

the way. It's Jesse. I have no idea, Miss Grant.

Maybe he just got hung up somewhere.

Hung up?

Oh,

this is so tired. People, we got one week to go.

Does anybody know where Velazquez is?

Right here, Miss Grant.

You're late, Jim.

Yeah, something came up.

Pick it up at the chorus, people. I'll speak to you later, young man.

It's just a misdemeanor. I've got a citation.

I've got to pay a fine. No big deal.

Well, you're not acting like it's no big deal to us. Nikki, it's cool, all

right? All right, come on. Let's go home.

Would you tell me... Listen, I can't talk about it.

Hey.

You can't talk to me about it. Who can you talk to?

Puerto Ricans are citizens. I thought I could pass.

Wait a minute. You're here illegally?

Jesse!

Let's just say I don't have my green card.

What about your family?

They're in Juarez.

It's a little town in Mexico across the border from Texas.

Why don't you get all the way up here to New York?

It's a long way, Jesse.

We were living in El Paso.

My mom worked cleaning houses and my dad bus tables so us kids could go to

school there.

And they got caught.

Yeah, but I wasn't around when it happened.

Jesse, you never told me any of this.

I got a lot of brothers and sisters counting on me to make it big here in

America.

You don't know.

I want to bring my family here, and I want to take care of them.

Nikki, I can't go back. But you're not going to run.

Where to? Everything I got is right here.

My friends?

The school?

You?

Jesse, I don't think you're telling me the whole truth.

What are you, my truant officer?

Jesse, I know.

Yeah? What do you know?

The very poor girl.

What are you going to do about this?

Nicole told you? Well, she was worried about you. You disappeared for five

Hey, pal, when are you going to realize you've got friends around here who care

about you? I realize it. This is just something I have to do myself. There's

really nothing you guys can do.

Oh, wait a minute.

Don't sell us so short.

Uh, Ross, this may come as a surprise to you, but that's my loss.

Check out the guy at the end of the hall.

What are you doing, Blaston?

I can't explain it to you right now, Donald. Someone's acting.

They're going to hit themselves.

I think I'll just have a look around.

We didn't come down here to take a bath, darling. Just to check things out.

What in the hell are you doing in here?

I left my soap in here.

Well, grab it and get out of here. Mr. Griffiths from the Board of Education.

He's going to give us the funds to refurbish this locker room. I didn't say

Quentin. I'm just here to look around.

Whether or not I allocate the funds and fill up in the air.

Yeah, well, I wouldn't want to stand in the way of no refurbishing, so I'll just

get the class.

Velazquez, you've been out all week. What's wrong?

I had a really bad cold.

Really bad.

I'm just getting over it.

Did you pay that fine yet?

Not yet.

Well, you can't mess around with those people. You've only got ten days. You

don't want to get in any more trouble, do you?

No, sir. I definitely wouldn't want that.

Thanks.

Great. Who are you?

It's me, Cleo.

Cleo.

Where is he?

I mean, where could he be?

Will you get a grip, Nick? He's probably just late.

The performance didn't happen. It doesn't happen to Jesse.

What? What if they caught him?

Me? Why me?

Because you're Jesse's understudy, Danny. Look.

I can't hold this curtain any longer. The whole show is riding on you, baby.

The whole show is riding on me?

Okay, I'll do it.

Are you sure? Now, I know you haven't had a lot of time to rehearse this time.

No, that's okay. I can do it. But when I come in, I come in stage right, right?

Stage left.

Stage left. Okay, I got it. And what's my first line? You don't have any lines.

You just sing.

Well, that's no problem because I can do that. Okay, you sure? We got it. That's

what I want to hear. King, king.

Every inch a king. Every inch a king. Every inch a king. Every inch a king.

right there.

You see, the last one, you better have a good excuse for this one. I think I can

take it from here after two. Yo, man, you owe me.

And you're whoever my patron saint is.

Weave that.

Jesse, where have you been?

I was down at the court paying my fine. Hey, everything is cool in the court.

Yeah. Listen, they didn't say anything.

I mean, if they were on to me, they would have nailed me right then. Oh,

so nice of you to show up, baby. You're batting a thousand for being late this

week.

People, come on, let's go. In places, everybody. 30 seconds. Let's go.

Dim the light.

And I'll talk to you later.

Are you Jesse Velasquez?

No, I'm Danny Amatulo.

Would somebody tell me what's going on here?

We're with the U .S. Immigration Service.

Immigration Service? What do you want with him?

We have reason to believe he might be an illegal alien.

You're in my custody, and don't you forget it. I won't.

Hey.

Look, this is all coming out wrong.

See, when I first came to this school, I made up my mind that I was going to run

a tight ship.

Well, I think I do run a tight ship.

Then I discovered something.

See, I'd forgotten about the kids.

And the kids are the heart and soul of this place.

Without you, there is no ship.

What I'm trying to say is, you're one of us now.

And you're not in this alone.

okay they're just hassling me i got a hearing in five days what i mean what

that mean it means i still got a chance to pull myself out hey will you stop

worrying nobody yet has been able to stop jesse velasquez knock it off this

serious

Mr. Duran, does your client understand your rights?

Yes. He's aware that he's entitled to a hearing and an appeal. All right.

I take it you're going to move for a suspension of a deportation proceeding.

Yes, I am.

On what grounds?

Extreme hardship.

Has Mr. Velasquez lived in this country for at least seven years?

No. He lived in El Paso, Texas for four years, stayed in New York for one.

But under the circumstances, you'll understand that... Under the

he falls two years short of the requirement for extreme hardship.

I can't suspend deportation.

And we respectfully request a stay so that Mr. Velazquez can file for green

time. Does Mr. Velazquez have any relatives living in this country as

that could take responsibility for his support?

I can support myself, man. I've been supporting myself. Jesse.

Request denied.

Wait a minute. Don't I get a chance to say anything?

Jesse.

I'll ask you.

We can make an exception in this case.

Bill.

I make an exception for one. I gotta make an exception for a thousand. Just a

kid. I know.

No strain on the system.

He works in a bodega after school.

He adds to the community.

What's the problem, sir?

Go on.

Request denied.

You're sending me back?

You give me a reason why I shouldn't, I'll grab it.

You're playing with my life, man.

My life.

How can you tell me that I can't stay here?

Sir, I've been in this country for years.

I got my education here.

I haven't done anything wrong.

I love this country.

It's my country.

You can't send me back, man.

Let me tell you something. I'm a second generation American here myself.

My parents immigrated here from Poland at a time when people were running for

their lives.

You should understand. How can you do this?

Only they applied for citizenship.

And they waited for years.

A lot of people waited.

A lot of people are still waiting.

Son, they had the same hopes, the same dreams that you had.

And my hands are tied.

I got to move forward on the deportation proceeding.

I move for an appeal.

You got it. You got ten days. Mr. Morlock, will you accept custody of Mr.

Velazquez again?

I will.

All right. Now, wait. Before you go, Mr. Velazquez, I'm going to give you a

piece of advice, and it's good advice.

If you're thinking about running, don't run.

Because if you do, and you do decide to apply for citizenship to this country,

you won't have a chance.

What are we going to do?

I still got an appeal.

Mr. Duran said that there were two ways to avoid deportation. What are they?

Well, one is adoption, but you got to be under the age of 14 and I'm not.

And the other is marrying an American citizen.

I'm an American citizen.

You'd marry me, Nicole?

Well, if it would keep you here, I would.

I don't know what to say.

What do you mean you don't know what to say? I'm proposing to you. You're

supposed to say, yes, I will.

Will you marry me?

Yes, I will.

I don't have a ring, so the hug is going to have to do.

What about your parents?

I'll talk to them tonight.

Let me guess.

Some psychic?

Your parents said no.

How did you know?

Oh, come here.

Does that look like the face of a bride -to -be?

My victim, Doris.

I'd even threaten to do it without their permission.

Can you do that?

No.

You need written consent from both your parents.

They just wouldn't give it.

I told them... I told them it would be annulled as soon as all of the problems

with Jesse's immigration were cleared up.

My father said that with me and Jesse...

It wouldn't be a fake marriage.

It would end up being real.

That's probably right.

I know.

Doris, what are we going to do?

We're going to lose him.

No, not necessarily. I mean, there's got to be something else.

What is there?

I mean, what's left?

Mmm.

This is wonderful, Mrs. Schwartz. What is it?

Creplach. That's like a little dumpling with a little bit of meat in the middle.

Oh, we have those in Mexico, too, but we call them empanadas de carne.

Of course, we put a little bit more spice in them, chopped onion, chili.

Oh, that sounds good.

I'll have to try that.

Angela, don't mess with the creplachs.

Ten years, you've made them just like ravioli.

What about Italian?

Northern Italian.

My maiden name is Pagliaro.

Isn't this nice?

I mean, we're all sitting here having dinner, and we've got Schwartzes, and

we've got a Velasquez, and we've got a Pagliaro.

I mean, it's just what America's all about.

Doris, do you want to sing the Star Spangled Banner? Or should we get down

what we've been talking about all week?

Oh, we've been talking? I thought we were yelling.

Well, whatever it was, the answer is still no. Wait, before you say anything.

There are no befores.

I already answered. It's still no.

Jack, I don't think we have to answer quite so quickly.

Are you saying you're for this?

I'm not saying I'm for it, but I'm not saying I'm against it either. I say

just listen.

Look, Jesse, you seem like a nice boy.

And I'm sorry, but this is my daughter we're talking about here.

Where I come from, we don't take marriages lightly.

I know that, sir. Neither do we.

Then what are we talking about?

We're talking about keeping him from being deported.

Doris, honey, I understand what you're trying to do.

And in its own way, it's a beautiful thing.

But I've waited for the day to see you married by a rabbi

standing under the hoop in the eyes of God.

Daddy, I think God would approve of this.

Look, I know how much your daughter means to you,

and I wouldn't want her to do anything that isn't right.

This was a mistake.

I was desperate, and I was looking for a way out.

I know now that I have no right to ask what I'm asking, so I think I'd better

leave.

Doris, thanks for trying.

Jesse, give me the letter.

No, forget it, Doris. No, come on, give me the letter.

Dear Mr.

and Mrs.

Schwartz, thank you for what you do for my son.

Your daughter must have a beautiful soul to do such a thing.

I, too, have a daughter, and she is as precious to me as I am sure yours is to

you. I can find no words to tell you what it means that you would do this for

stranger from another land.

In my country, we are very poor, and the future for my son would not be bright.

Because of you, he has a chance for a better life.

I am forever in your debt.

Hector Velazquez

Who gives this woman away?

Her mother and I do.

You, Dora Swartz, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband.

I do.

And you, Jesse Velasquez, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife.

I do.

By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you man and

wife.

This is Mrs. Velasquez.

Yes, sir.

And here's our marriage certificate signed by the justice of the peace.

Everything is legal.

Did you advise them to do this, sir?

No, they did not.

Okay.

Now that you are married, where are the two of you residing?

They're living with us, sir.

Are you the in -laws?

Yes, we are.

Did you give your consent for your daughter to marry this young man?

Yes, we did.

And the finest son -in -law you'll never meet. I mean, he helps us with the

dishes at night. And he always picks up his clothes. We love him.

You must love him.

You must love him very much.

Because you broke the law.

We did?

It looks that way.

I think I better get a glass of water and sit down.

Wait, wait. I don't understand. Everything was done legally. How did we

the law?

Why don't you ask your counsel?

Maybe he can explain it to you.

Even if the marriage is legal.

The immigration officer has the authority to determine whether it's a

valid one. What do you mean, man? That's a valid marriage. It's a paper with the

official seal and everything.

I think it is perfectly obvious that this is a marriage of convenience.

What? Son, we see it all the time.

I have the authority to press charges against you and to pose a fine,

but I'm not going to.

I think the situation here is painful enough.

Mr. Pulaski? Yes?

You really do love him.

I'm proud to call him my son -in -law. But he's not really your son -in -law.

And he's not really your husband, is he?

May I say something, Mr. Pulaski?

Who are you?

A friend.

My name is Benjamin Sharofsky. I'm a naturalized citizen of the United

came here through Ellis Island some 40 years ago.

Becoming a citizen wasn't easy then either.

But nobody closed the doors and nobody said there's no more room.

Think of what this country would be if we had kept out Albert Einstein.

And how about Alexander Graham Bell?

He was an immigrant, wasn't he?

Well said, Benjamin.

Yes, he was well said.

Unfortunately, it is irrelevant, and it doesn't change a thing.

Look, people, I do not make the laws, I just enact them.

And we do have quotas.

The appeal is denied.

Now, Mr. Velasquez, I order you to report here for deportation in seven

So what are you going to do, man?

Who knows?

But I'll tell you one thing for sure.

Someday I'm coming back.

So what does this make you guys?

Teenage divorcees?

No, it's being an old as we speak.

We even had to get back to Wayne.

I gotta go to class.

Come on, Velasquez. You coming?

Of course.

Yeah.

It's really nice to be with you, Velasquez.

My father's lawyer gave me this book on immigration laws.

I was up all night last night trying to find a way to keep you here.

Did you find anything?

Not yet.

But it's a big book, Jesse.

Our biggest problem right now is time.

Yeah, well, we don't have too much of that, do we?

But you threw a lot of numbers and played a lot of games.

And I just want to say that I'm sorry about that.

Where are you going?

I've got to pack some stuff. I've only got a couple of days.

And I want to say goodbye to some people.

I'm not giving up.

I've

been

looking all over. for you, Mr. Velasquez.

Yeah, same here.

I wanted to thank you for the way you spoke up for me the other day. It really

meant a lot to me.

Also, I wanted to say goodbye.

You know, Mr. Velasquez, I've always hated goodbyes.

I'll do almost anything to avoid them.

I've been thinking.

Would you do me the honor of becoming my son?

Are you talking about adoption, Mr. Shiraz?

Why not? You married Miss Schwartz. One of my chump liver.

Yeah, but wouldn't that be the same thing as my marrying Doris? They'd say

was a fraud.

There'd be one big difference.

This would be the real thing.

Why would you want to do something like that for me?

Actually, I'd do it for me. But if the truth were known, I live a rather quiet

life. I'd even go as far as to say that once in a great while, I get lonely.

So I figured it might be a nice thing to have someone around like you to hang

around with. What do you say?

I'd say it'd be great.

The only problem is I'm overage for adoption.

I see.

But I'll never forget the offer, Mr. Shirovsky. It's one of the best I've

had.

You know, if I ever do get to come back to this country, there's really, um...

No reason why we couldn't hang out together.

I'd like that.

I'll leave you alone with your thoughts.

I just didn't want you to leave without saying goodbye.

No, it ain't goodbye. It's hasta luego.

What's the difference?

Hasta luego means I'll be seeing you again.

Yeah.

There's a couple of things I wanted to tell you.

Things like I'm going to miss you.

You got to say nothing. No, and I wish we could have gotten to know each other

little better.

You know, stuff like that.

Yeah.

Well, man, I stink of words.

No way to get from today.

Was hard enough to figure out.

Hopes and dreams and lots of plans.

That's all you ever thought about.

Didn't want to give up. Never wanted to stay.

Couldn't keep going on.

Didn't find it fitting to be admitted.

So much as that fire was on.

Where your dreams don't get lost in yesterday.

Feeling down is nothing new.

You're paying for it anyway.

Where your dreams think about.

Looking forward to the day you come back.

Better have some music.

Keep watching.

I just want to thank you guys for all of this. I really didn't expect it.

When my family went back to Mexico, I was alone. I mean, I had nobody.

But then I came to this school.

And, well, I made some really good friends.

I mean, I really consider you family.

But not for long. And I don't want anybody to be sad because, remember,

Velasquez will return.

This is what it's going to be like without Jesse.

It says right here in paragraph 13b, sir, that if an alien has extraordinary

talent, he can get a temporary visa and apply for a green card.

Don't you think you're reaching here, Miss Chapman? No, sir, I don't. Can't

give the kid a break?

I don't see how.

Already he's 20 minutes late.

He's beginning to look like he's skipped.

I think I may have to call an APP for his arrest.

No, please don't do that.

He won't skip. I'm sure there's a valid reason why he's not here yet.

Mr. Pulaski, I'm sorry I wasn't on time.

What did I tell you? This kid wouldn't skip.

You're wrong.

As a matter of fact, up until about 20 minutes ago, I was gone. I was ready to

split.

So I didn't.

Because I've been hiding for too long, and I'm tired of being a fugitive.

The next time I come back into this country, I'm going to do it the right

legal.

Because it ain't worth being here if I can't feel like I belong.

Jessica, there's a chance you can stay. If you can show them that you have

extraordinary talent.

Now, wait a minute.

If you read this carefully, you will see that it specifically requires that an

applicant must show Claude that his talent is beneficial to the United

Excuse me. Please, Mr. Sharovsky.

I did read it carefully.

And specifically, it states that an applicant's talent must promise, I

promise, substantial benefit for the national economy, cultural interest, or

welfare of the United States.

Mr. Velasquez is a student of the School of the Arts, and we've been turning out

talent like this for years.

I have a list here of 140.

Would you like me to name them?

Not really, no. In that case, who is to say whether or not... Jesse Velasquez

shows such promise.

Well, I guess I am if you want to go by the book.

Isn't that what we've been going by?

I am no judge, you damn it.

You know what you like, don't you?

People, please.

Even if I were to okay this, there is still a real good chance that my

could be overturned and reviewed.

Well, I'm willing to take that chance.

If you'll just listen to me.

Jesse, this might be the most important audition in your life.

What

am

I to be?

What am I to be?

It's in my life for me What

can I do that no man has done?

What will my life bring me?

Where am I to go?

What feelings will I know?

Will I embrace the gifts I have?

What will I live to show?

Will I be a gentleman?

Will I play my song?

Can I keep the child in me and

still become a man?

What am I to be?

It's too bad, isn't it?

Well, you can't win them all, Mr. Morlock.

Yeah, but a two -point spread. I thought the Jets had it sewn up.

Want to join me for dinner?

Well, maybe some other time, but I have a previous engagement.

See you tomorrow.

Yes. Hey, taxi!

Taxi! You ready, Mr. Sharofsky?

Yes, ready as I'll ever be, Mr. Velazquez. Oh, I want to thank you for

did. Thank me when it's official.

Tell me, Mr. Velazquez.

What will you do with the overruling of the Velazquez decision from your back?

Well, me and Mr. Morak have been talking about that, and did you know that they

have a foreign student exchange program here?

No kidding.

Let's discuss it on the way.

Listen, Mr.

Sharovsky, do you think I could possibly talk you into a Prince concert?

Beethoven doesn't really do it for me.

Velazquez, take my word for it.

That man was an extraordinary talent.