Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)

American Dream (2017)

Mariska Hargitay: Lieutenant Olivia Benson

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Quotes 

• Olivia Benson : [When a New Jersey officer refuses to release Yusef from custody]  Listen, two people were killed and you're deporting the one person that can ID the men that did this?

  New Jersey Officer : I don't wanna get into politics, so I think it's time for y'all to leave before things get unpleasant.

  Olivia Benson : No, no, they already are unpleasant.

  New Jersey Officer : I agree. Now get the hell outta here.

  Rafael Barba : Or what? You're gonna deport me to Cuba?

  [about Carisi] 

  Rafael Barba : You gonna take him to Italy?

• Ice Agent : What can I help you with?

  Olivia Benson : We're looking for Yusef Massad. He's a material witness in a pending double homicide investigation.

  Ice Agent : Do you have a warrant?

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : We're in the process of getting one, yeah.

  Ice Agent : Well, when you get one, you can come back.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : We need to find him right now, okay? He's supposed to testify in front of the grand jury tomorrow morning.

  Ice Agent : That's not really our concern.

  Olivia Benson : Okay, where's your boss?

  Ice Agent : Excuse me?

  Olivia Benson : Go get your boss. Now. Look, I realize you're young and you're trying to do your job, but I'm warning you. I've been doing my job a long time, and I got a lot of friends.

  Ice Agent : Are you threatening me?

  Olivia Benson : Yep.

• Deputy Chief William Dodds : My God. This kind of racism and hate. It's 2017.

  Olivia Benson : It's happening everywhere, Chief.

  Deputy Chief William Dodds : Well, it shouldn't happen here. Not in New York City.

• Deputy Chief William Dodds : So what do we know about the family?

  Amanda Rollins : Kanann and Maya Samra. They immigrated legally from Damascus 25 years ago. Their daughters, Lela and Shala they were born here in New York.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : It's a family-run restaurant. They've been in business 15 years. There's no apparent financial issues.

  Amanda Rollins : They're like model citizens. They pay their taxes, there's no legal problems in their past not even a parking ticket.

  Deputy Chief William Dodds : Anything else?

  Odafin Tutuola : They're practicing Muslims. They attend a local mosque. No connection to any radical groups.

  Olivia Benson : It's a perfect American family.

• Olivia Benson : [after Yusef tells the police about witnessing his family's attack at the restaurant]  Finally, a lead.

  Odafin Tutuola : If you believe what he's saying.

  Olivia Benson : You don't?

  Odafin Tutuola : The guy hid in a closet and watched his whole family get terrorized and never called his sister?

  Olivia Benson : He was frightened.

  Odafin Tutuola : Then why not say something when it was all over?

  Olivia Benson : One, he's ashamed. Two, he's an undocumented, gay Muslim. In his mind? He reports this crime, he's on the next plane to Syria.

• Olivia Benson : [to Maya and Lela]  Listen to me. We are gonna find them and we are gonna prosecute them. We are not giving up on this case.

• Rafael Barba : Other than Yusef putting Hector at the scene, what other evidence do we have?

  Amanda Rollins : No forensics yet.

  Odafin Tutuola : He claims he was home with his wife.

  Olivia Benson : And she's backing him up too.

  Amanda Rollins : In the meantime, we are looking for video around Hector's apartment, going through his phone records, social media looking for anything to blow up his story.

  Deputy Chief William Dodds : What about the other two perps?

  Olivia Benson : We're talking to everybody that Hector knows, trying to shake something loose. You ask me, it's just a matter of time. I mean, these are not sophisticated criminals. It does not feel like an organized, anti-Muslim conspiracy here.

  Deputy Chief William Dodds : Okay. In the meantime, we need to arraign Hector. Show the Muslim community that we're making some progress.