by Mark Spivak
Agents of the group have been operating in a half-dozen areas near the border with Mexico. They are equipped with operational vehicles and tasers, but they do not carry firearms. They wear improvised uniforms patterned on the dress of the historical Knights Templars, an influential paramilitary organization that flourished during the Middle Ages. Their conduct appears to be peaceful and within the law. While they are not actually arresting the immigrants, some observers say they are practicing a form of citizen’s arrest and detaining the offenders until the Border Patrol can arrive to take them into custody.
No one knows exactly how many people belong to the group, but most estimates place the number of field agents at close to 2,000. The source of their funding is also unknown. Jasper Marshall, the national leader of the Angels of Democracy, has thus far refused all requests for interviews.
Little is known about José Cortes either. His fellow immigrants describe him as a soft-spoken, peaceful young man who came to the United States in search of a better life. His goal was to find employment and earn money to send home to his wife and two children. People who spoke with him reveal that he dreamed of establishing himself in this country, sending for his family, and someday becoming a citizen.
We also know that he liked baloney.
“I’m not going to bullshit you,” said Joel Gottbaum. “You have to get a handle on this, and you have to do it quickly, before it gets away from you.”
Gottbaum and Khaleem Atalas sat in the President’s private compartment aboard Air Force One on the way home from the G-8 summit in Brussels. Atalas kept checking his smart phone during the conversation, and Gottbaum knew that the President’s distraction was a sign of nervousness.
“Let’s keep the melodrama under control, Joel. Please.”
“It’s not melodrama. As of this morning, there’s something like 20,000 illegal immigrants sitting in county jails along the Mexican border. The local authorities can’t hold them anymore—they’re coming in at the rate of a few thousand each week. All the press can talk about is this kid and his fucking baloney sandwich. You have to get a handle on the situation.”
“What would you like me to do?” Atalas yawned. “Put them up in motels and give them room service?”
“This isn’t a joke. The reporters are going to eat you alive.”
Atalas smiled. “Is that why most of them have been kicked off the plane?”
“Except for the pool guys, yes.”
“CNN and Fox must be having a cow.”
“They’re big boys, they’ll get over it. It won’t kill them to fly commercial. But make no mistake, the entire White House press corps will be waiting for you when we land at Andrews. And you’ll have to talk to them.”
“Maybe not. Maybe I’ll just pull a Reagan, pretend not to hear them, and give them a wave and a smile.”
“That’ll work for a day or two, until they start reminding you that you promised the most transparent administration in history.”
“Joel, listen to me.” The President leaned forward. “I don’t know what’s going on down there any more than you do. We have the intelligence services working on it, but they haven’t uncovered a lot of information as of yet.”
“So you say that you’re taking it very seriously and you’ve launched an investigation. You show compassion for the immigrants, and you remind everyone that they’re still human beings even though they broke the law. Talk about the promise of America, whatever. Just play for time.”
“There’s not much else I can do.”
“But lean on the FBI to get you some information. Because Peter Schoenfeld is down there, and you’d better believe he’s going to find something. Remember what he did to George Cane.”
“I haven’t bombed any fake terrorist camps recently,” grinned Atalas, “so I’m not worried. The Post endorsed me in the last campaign.”
“This isn’t the campaign anymore,” said Gottbaum. “This is real life.”
Chapter 25
“We should be talking about this in person. It’s really not the kind of stuff we should be discussing over the phone.”
“We don’t have any choice, Eddie,” said Chet Wallko. “How many times do I meet face to face with the Speaker of the House? The press would have a field day. Some of them aren’t the brightest guys in the world, but even they’d be able to figure out that something was up.”
On the other end of the line was Rep. Edward Lupin (R-Minn.), the former House Minority Leader. When the Republicans seized control of the House during the midterm election rout, Lupin replaced Andrew Neponski as Speaker. Since then he had devoted most of his energy to keeping a tenuous grip on his caucus, mediating between Tea Party extremists and mainstream Congressmen who now lived in fear of primary challenges from far-right opponents. He was also undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, which had kept him away from Congress for large stretches of the present term.
“I don’t know how the hell you think this will pass.” Lupin looked down at his copy of the Wallko-sponsored bill that proposed to reverse the major provisions of Democracy Unchained. “The Court will go crazy.”
“They probably will, but ultimately it doesn’t matter what they think. They don’t have any jurisdiction here. I imagine you read the statements from the experts.”
“Sure I did. But none of those guys are Justices with a vote.”
“Eddie, you know very well there’s only one way the Court can retaliate. There would have to be a case challenging the legislation that worked its way up the appellate system, until it got to the Court for a ruling. And that could easily take five years, maybe closer to ten.”
“You make it sound simple.”
“You want simplicity? Think about the fact that all the conservative Justices have signed on to the theory that the Constitution should be interpreted literally, word for word, just as the founders wrote it. And in this case, it says that power resides in Congress and not the judiciary.”
‘“I’d love to know how you thought of this in the first place.”
“I’ll never tell. But the question is, can you get the votes to pass it?”
Lupin chuckled. “Well now, you may find this hard to believe, but over here in the poor man’s branch of the legislature it’s no longer a case of strong-arming the troops. You can’t intimidate your caucus anymore to get the results you want—that went out with Tip O’Neill. This is going to take a lot of horse-trading, and I have to figure out if it’s worth everything I might have to give up.”
“It’s the right thing to do, and you know that.”
“As I just said, Chet, the House isn’t a Cub Scout den meeting. We duel with real weapons over here.”
“My calculations are that you have maybe two dozen people who are receiving support from the mega donors. Everybody else should be in the possible column.”
“I’d say it’s closer to 30 or 31.”
“Whatever. You have a healthy majority, and there are some votes you can pick off on the other side of the aisle.”
“You should have been a used car salesman. Let me run some numbers and see what I can come up with.”
“Terrific. I’ll wait to hear from you. Remember, this is your chance to become an American hero.”
“It’s my chance to have my ass handed to me on a platter, more likely.”
Immigrants Continue to Flood Jails Along Mexican Border
Huge Numbers of Detainees Create Overcrowding, Harsh Conditions
By Peter Schoenfeld
June 21: Special to The Washington Post
An unprecedented wave of detained illegal immigrants is creating dangerous conditions in county jails along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The immigrants, nearly 25,000 in number and growing rapidly, have all been arrested over the past several months as part of an enhanced security sweep by the U.S. Border Patrol. The authoriti
es have been assisted in their efforts by a shadowy organization called the Angels of Democracy, about which very little is known. The immigrants are currently being held at county jails in Southern California and Texas while they await deportation hearings.
According to Texas correctional officials, many of these jails were already overcrowded prior to the arrival of the detainees. In recent years it has been the government’s policy to shift non-violent offenders to county facilities, rather than have them serve their sentences in federal prisons. With the addition of the new jail population, inmates are now “crammed like rats” into tiny cells, to quote an exasperated guard.
The crowded conditions pose a number of hazards, beginning with hygiene. Nearly 400 cases of dysentery have been recorded. The most dangerous aspect of the situation, however, appears to be a dramatic uptick in gang activity. Officials feel that detainees who were involved in crime back in Mexico are organizing their fellow immigrants into teams designed to control the sale of jailhouse items such as cigarettes and drugs.
The most notorious incident of violence occurred last week at the San Diego County Jail when José Cortes, who had recently arrived from Baja, was stabbed several times during an argument over a baloney sandwich. Cortes was taken to the infirmary, where he developed an infection. He was then transferred to a nearby hospital where he died of septic shock.
“We just don’t have the manpower to deal with this,” said one corrections officer who asked to remain anonymous. “We’d need three or four times the number of guards to control this situation adequately. We’re doing everything we can, but there are simply too many of them and too few of us.”
The arrests began in mid-April, and the number of immigrants detained quickly increased. Agents of the Angels of Democracy are assisting the U.S. Border Patrol in five areas along the border. Their presence has effectively doubled the amount of manpower available to apprehend people crossing illegally into the United States.
Little is known about the group beyond their self-avowed pledge “to function as Good Samaritans and assist law enforcement to reach a better state of safety and security for our families, neighbors and friends.” Prior to several months ago, they were primarily viewed as a local fraternal organization in Southern California. Since then they have deployed several thousand field agents equipped with vehicles, tasers and uniforms reminiscent of the Medieval Knights Templars.
The leader of the group, Jasper Marshall, resides in Pasadena. He has spent the last few months traveling back and forth to the locations where the arrests are taking place and has thus far refused all requests for interviews.
Khaleem Atalas descended the steps from Air Force One and returned the salute of the uniformed guard at the bottom. He strode confidently across the tarmac, surrounded by a phalanx of aides and Secret Service agents. Several dozen reporters waited for him; as he approached, they all shouted questions at once.
“One at a time, guys,” he said firmly. “That’s the only way I can answer you.”
“Sir, any updates on the crisis at the Mexican border?”
“I wouldn’t call it a crisis, although it’s obviously a source of great concern for us, as it is for many Americans. I don’t have any new information for you at the moment, no. But we’re monitoring the situation closely, and I should have something for you shortly.”
“Mr. President, The Post reported this morning that there were 25,000 total immigrants detained between the five sites. Is that accurate?”
“It’s not precise, but it’s close. I think the real number is somewhat less than that.”
“Mr. President, what can you tell us about the Angels of Democracy? Who are they?”
“We’ve been following them for quite some time—I think the first report I had on them was almost a year ago. As far as we can see, they’re a group of citizens who obviously have their own sense of priorities about enforcing justice in this country, but there’s no evidence that they’re violating any laws.”
“Aren’t they arresting the immigrants in situations where the Border Patrol is out of reach?”
“I believe they are detaining them, and I’m told that they are within their rights to do so. If you see someone in the act of committing a crime, you can certainly stop them if you’re able to. The concept is known as citizen’s arrest in popular jargon. Now, there have been cases where the person enforcing the citizen’s arrest has been found guilty of false imprisonment, but only when it turned out that no crime had actually been committed. In this situation, that’s sadly not the case.”
“Sir, why aren’t these people being deported if they’re coming here illegally?”
The President smiled. “Well, in this country, as you know, we have a Constitutional right called due process. And while I understand that there’s some disagreement in the legal community about whether or not those rights extend to non-citizens, under my watch they will be treated with the same consideration. Under normal circumstances, we don’t simply deport someone without a hearing.”
“Sir, a number of news outlets are referring to this as a crisis. Are you characterizing it as a normal state of affairs?”
“No, I’m not. But neither do I think that the situation is so dire that we need to start throwing the Constitution out the window.”
“Mr. President, a commentator on Fox news last night suggested that you were dragging your feet on the deportations because of pressure from Criollos Unidos and other Hispanic organizations that helped turn out the vote for you in the last election. How would you react to that?”
“That’s absolute nonsense,” said Atlalas flatly. “Look, let me be clear on this: these are people who came to the United States in search of a better life for themselves and their families. And they did so because this country has always been a beacon of hope for those in unfortunate, impoverished, or dangerous circumstances. They are entitled to a hearing, because that’s the way we administer justice in this country. We don’t simply toss people out without knowing the facts. For all we know there are a large number of legitimate asylum seekers among those 25,000 people, folks who would be in danger of their lives if they were sent back home. We simply don’t know. That’s why we have a justice system in the first place—to find out things like that.”
“Sir, The Post estimates that the immigrants are being arrested at a rate of more than 1,000 per week. The jails down there are obviously overcrowded, and there’s no room for them now. What provisions will you make to house them if the numbers double in the next few months?”
“That’s a good question. We’re looking at a number of options on that and should be coming to a decision soon. Obviously, a great deal will depend on how quickly we can get the hearings scheduled.”
“To that point, Mr. President, there have been very few hearings put on the docket thus far—I believe the actual number is less than one hundred. At that rate, how long do you think it will take to get this resolved, particularly if the arrests continue?”
“We’re working on a plan to accelerate the pace of the hearings. Remember that we have a wealth of talent in this country to draw from. There are any number of retired judges who can be pressed into service so that we can get this situation resolved as quickly as possible.”
“Sir—“
“I’m going to cut this short for now, but within a week or so I’ll have a detailed report to deliver to the public. In the meantime, let’s extend our compassion to these unfortunate immigrants and their families.”
Chapter 26
“The President is on line one for you,” said Linda Buckmeister.
“Tell him I’m busy,” said Wallko, staring up at the pig. “I went out for a cheeseburger. Better yet, tell him I can’t talk because I’m in the middle of switching my party affiliation to Republican.”
“He already thinks you’re a Republican. Pick up the phone.”
“Chet Wal
lko,” he said, pushing the red button on his desk console.
“Senator, this is the White House operator. I have President Atalas on the line for you.”
“Can’t wait.”
“Chet! How the hell are you?”
“Not too shabby, sir. How are things in the bubble?”
“Insulated as usual. But I can tell you that I feel a lot better this morning.”
“How so?”
“I was just briefed on the details of the bill you’re shepherding through Congress to repeal the provisions of Democracy Unchained. Sounds like you’re doing the Lord’s work.”
“Somebody has to do it. It was a twisted decision, and it’s had terrible consequences.”
“I couldn’t agree more, as you know. And I was particularly impressed by the way you sidestepped the Court on this. It’s a brilliant strategy, and I believe it will hold up.”
“Thank you, Mr. President.”
“I’d appreciate it if you could keep me in the loop on your progress. And particularly, please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help push this thing through—phone calls, meetings with influencers, whatever.”
“Thank you, sir. You know what they say about strange bedfellows.”
Atalas chuckled. “Look, I have a lot of respect for you, as you know, but we haven’t always found ourselves on the same side of every issue. Let’s make the most of it this time.”
“Absolutely. And even though it’s not my intention, this piece of legislation will generate publicity that might divert public attention from the situation on the border.”
“Well, that’s a mess in the making, no question about it. But we’re monitoring it carefully and developing some strategies. I’ll probably go on the air next week with an update.”
