hello, everybody, and welcome to al jazeera america. i'm david shuster in new york. john siegenthaler has the night off. just ahead. found israeli troops searching a palestinian west bank find the bodies of three missing jewish teenagers. the young men were shot to death. at this hour, israel is responding with air strikes. and parts of iraq and syria claim a new nation. coverage denied.

the supreme court rules that certain companies are entitled to religious liberties, and do not have to offer contraception in their health coverage. and the knockout stage of soccer's world cup. and broken borders, president obama promises to go around lawmakers to fix the u.s. immigration system. we'll take a closer look at the cause in an al jazeera special, broken borders, broken dreams. ♪ we begin tonight with a very tense situation in israel and the palestinian territories within the past hour, israeli war plains have carried out war strikes in gaza after the bodies of three young men who

disappeared nearly two weeks ago were discovered today. they were found near where they vanished. nick schifrin joins us live from the gaza strip. tell us what is happening right now. >> yeah, david, good evening. gaza has been shaken by those air strikes and strikes from the sea that you spoke about. about an hour ago we heard at least two dozen of those strikes successfully in about five minutes, and it really felt like everywhere around us, many parts of gaza were being struck. the targets according to local sources were empty training fields -- militant training fields, rather. about 10 or 15 minutes before the strikes began, there was a rocket fired by palestinian mill tanths from gaza into israel. that rocket let an empty field. so what you have right now is a

kind of tit-for-tat, but everyone is waiting for a larger israeli response. >> tell us about the response given the mood and atmosphere in israel, given the discovery made earlier today. >> yeah, i think it's really important to understand the context. for israel, this was an unpress sent -- unprecedented attack. a lot of israelis are calling for an unprecedented response to what they see as an unprecedented attack. what we saw for two and a half weeks is an intensive search. very quickly after these teenagers were kidnapped they knew something was wrong. they called police, one whispering we have been kidnapped. shortly thereafter, they were

shot dead according to israeli officials. that's when the captored switched cars, brought them to an empty field and buried them under some rocks, and buried the third teenager under the ground. and after two and a half weeks that's when israeli forces found them. since them we have seen israeli forces bulldoze two suspects that israel say are linked to hamas, and israeli cabinet meeting for three hours, and then the rocket and air strikes, but we are still awaiting a larger israeli response, given the magnitude of what israel sees. >> a number of lawmakers have joined with the israeli government in demanding that the fattah unithat the palestinians have with hamas -- that that be dissolved. has there been any response by other fattah leaders or hamas? >> yeah, basically what we see

is israel making no bones about it. whether today or the last two weeks. prime minister benjamin netenyahu has been totally willing to admit he is trying to draw a wedge between the fattah movement and hamas in gaza, which as you said came together for a reconciliation go. he has been trying to separate those two. the palestinians have vowed to stay together. and israel was hoping the united states would come out tonight and say this is an example of why they have to separate, and the unity government needs to collapse. president obama saying just a few hours ago, saying . . . but he went on to try to calm the two sides saying . . . the u.s. clearly siding with the israelis when it comes to

terrorism, but trying to make both sides take positive steps, at least refrain from some of the larger steps that some people in israel them to take. >> now to iraq where the united states is sending 300 additional troops into a deteriorating security situation. president obama says the troops will protect americans and the embassy in bagdad. this will bring the total number of forces to around 100. the administration has ruled out sending combat troops back into iraq. the fighters in iraq are going under a new name now. and declared a new state. jonathan betz is here with a look at the implications. >> this is a very bold statement. something not even al-qaeda did. the islamic state of iraq and levant is shortening its name.

and simply calling itself the islamic state. it is establishing a ruling in iraq and syria. this is not new, there have been four since the 600s. the last one in the ottoman empire. they have named its chief as the supreme leader. he claims to be the successor to the profit mohammed. this gives him a special religious status. he considers himself a leader for all muslims. not even osama bin laden went so far as to declare himself this designation. he made a lot of progress building the islamic state in syria and iraq. sharia law is now enforce in the red here. women are largely not allowed to leave the home.

people must pray together, punishments could include crucifixions and amputations. they report to control all of the area seen in black. this may be very unlikely. this is frankly probably more of a propaganda ploy, but it shows this group has big ambitions. >> jonathan betz, thank you. residents of bagdad are reacting to sunni rebels changing their name. imran khan has that story. ♪ >> reporter: in an earlier message and manifesto published on the web, they have now renamed themselves. it is called the islamic state and it's a declaration of the group's intent. in bagdad the announcement has been met with [ inaudible ]. >> translator: they are dissolutioned. iraq is many sects and ethnic groups. therefore we as iraqis and iraqi

people reject this speech and neither recognize the islamic state of iraq for the pledge of allegiance to the so-called leader. >> reporter: but one analyst has suggested it may make the group stronger. >> translator: i think such an scenario enables all parts to become unified and fight shoulder to shoulder with one doctrine for world domination. >> reporter: all eyes are on iraqi parliamentary meeting on tuesday. they could choose a speaker of the house, a president, and prime minister. iraq's political landscape is so frauktured right now, that nobody knows if that will happen, and whether they will even be able to come up with names. the prime is being criticized by all sides. so he is under tremendous amounts of pressure. people like the shiite political

party who are not confident the prime minister has support. >> translator: i believe that the chances for the current prime minister to run for a third term are very low in comparison to other candidates. we believe according to the grand eye -- ayatollah, it is better to choose the one who can get acceptance of all parties. >> reporter: maliki did win the popular vote in iraq. his party got enough seats but not enough to form a government. maliki's supporters are confident that he will prevail. the parliamentary session on tuesday is a big test. imran khan, al jazeera, bagdad. >> we have the executive direct or who joins us in studio. simon thanks for being with us.

what makes this crisis different from the others? >> the crises are in some sense connected. obviously that's clear for everybody to see, and in some sense the strength that isis or isil is a direct result of the atrocities of the assad government in syria, but we have 2 million internally displaced people at the moment in iraq. at least 1 million of whom may have come originally from syria. it's a very grave situation. these people have no support. they called for $300 million in funding, of which they only have $25 million at the moment. >> is it complicated by the fact the united states had this war going on in iraq for ten years? >> yeah, of course. absolutely. and the american misadventure obviously is part of this story,

but it's not the only part. the bigger part as i said the civil war in syria as the way that has leaked across the borders in iraq, and the is, or issa, or isil, has a mission to destable the area. >> there have been reports of crucifixions and people loosing limbs. how much of that is causing fear in the population and people to be on the move? >> absolutely. when [ inaudible ] we saw almost instantaneously, of about 500,000 people on the move. we can rely on them to commit atrocities. they have crewfied rebel groups who they fight with in s sir -- syria, and there are grave fears we have for the

safety of iraqi civilians who are caught between the government and the isil forces. >> where are these civilians from iraq going? >> yeah, well, nowhere really safe is i guess thence. they are internally displaced. the un has obviously gathered up many of them. but it's also interesting in the north of the country, where the kurds have been able to repel in some ways the advance of isis, we have found some who have gained control there. we literally have somewhere around 2 million people who are displaced inside the country. >> there is a growing discussion about the ultimate solution in iraq being perhaps some sort of partition plan. is that a kind of solution that might enable them to have

someplace to go, or is it too complicated for even that? >> the center that i work for, we don't really get into the idea of the future of iraq, but we could say in some sense those borders are artificial, but the likelihood of some sort of kurdish state could emerge in north. but people are being forced to choose between a national identity kind of religious or sectarian identity, and the response of the government has been to mobilize shiite milit militias. and we have sunnis being called to show they allegiance for isis and come fight for them. and once you let the sectarian genie out of the country, it threatens all civilians. >> simon adams, good of you to join us tonight.

we appreciate it. >> thank you very much. >> president obama revealed today that he has been told by house speaker john baner that the republican-led house will not take up an immigration reform reform bill this year. so the president announced he will now try to fix the immigration system through executive decision. and that will include redirecting law enforcement sees from the interior to the southern border. the focus there is on stopping the flow of undocumented immigrants trying to cross the border now there has been an historic surge of children trying to enter the country. and now president is asking for $2 billion in emergency funds. >> our country would be stronger today if the house republicans would have allowed a yes or no vote on this bill or for that

matter any bill. but instead they have proven again and again, that they are unwilling to stand up to the tea party in order to do what is best for the country. >> coming up, we'll take an in-depth look at the immigration crisis in an al jazeera special broken borders, broken dreams. in ukraine, the ceasefire has now expired and the president will not extend it. now he'll move to plan b military action against, quote, terrorists. paul beban has more. >> reporter: the president has come out and decided exactly what he was going to do, there will be no extension to the unilateral ceasefire. it had already been extended by

72 hours, and the kiev government believes there has not been any progress made at all by the separatists. the statement is quite long. i'll read you a couple of experts. he says a unique opportunity to implement the peace plan was not implemented. i as commander in chief have decided not to pursue the unilateral ceasefire. non-renewal of the ceasefire is our response to what he described as terrorists, rebels, looters. he says i do not want to embellish the situation. what will be the international response? america has already responded. the state department spokesperson has already said, look, the ceasefire is a matter for ukraine, and the americans -- the u.s. -- the united states will support whatever ukraine decides. so it appears that the president is going to get support from his american colleague, president

obama. europe has been trying to find some sort of compromise. we had these fourway telephone conference calls, and they came to nothing. and you must be looking at more sanctions against russia. because russia was also under influence to bring its influence to bare against separatists. we are underway of what the president calls plan b. and there is probably going to be some bloodshed. >> now kevin corriveau is here with the weather. >> things don't look good this evening. tonight is one of the worst nights we have seen in the past five days. you can see these rolling through, look at how large the system is right now. it's pushing very close to chicago. delays at the airports are starting to begin there. but look at all of the damage we

have seen previously. there were a few tornado reports here where you see the red, but most of it so wind. we have a lot of trees and power lines down. and that is going to continue through the rest of the evening. this is what we're looking at for warnings. where you see the purple or yellow or oranges, all deal with areas of severe weather. and the green is dealing with flooding, and this is an area that we don't need to see anymore flooding. today we're going to be seeing more weather all the way through the rest of the evening. what we are watching is what is happening off of the coast of florida. this could be our next tropical system that we do not know yet where it's going to go. it hasn't gotten its about together yet, but we're going to be watching it carefully. the national weather center has sent plains in to look at the

situation. thank you kevin. up next, obama kair versus religious freedom. we will take a closer look at and the impact of today's ruling at the united states supreme court. one justice says the court has ventured into a mind field. plus at the world cup in april, if you win, you move on, if you lose you go home. we'll look at america's big match tomorrow with belgium. ♪

the united states supreme court ruled today that certain companies do not have to provide health insurance that covers certain contraception for women. democrats said the court ruling is part of a republican war on women, and could cause employers to drop coverage for other

groups as well. lisa stark reports from washington. >> crowds gathered on the steps of the supreme court. >> what do we want? health care! >> when do we want it? >> now. >> and when a divided court found in favor of hobby lobby, it's supporters erupted in cheers. [ cheers ] >> reporter: the case also involved a cabinet maker company. the two businesses argued they were religiously opposed to covering some types of contraceptives, such as plan b the morn-after pill. >> today's decision is a landmark decision for religious freedom. >> others criticized the ruling. >> this is a bitter pill for women. it means that bosses can take away coverage for birth control. >> the court split 5-4 along idealogical lines in agreements the two companies could opt out

of contraceptive care. alito said that is not allowed under the religious freedom restorationant. this is the first time the court has found this religious freedom law applies to for-profit companies. alito said the decision covers only the contraceptive mandate, but ruth bader-ginsberg called the decision sweeping, and asked . . . >> at the white house, the president declined to comment. but his spokesman said mr. obama feels the decision puts women's health in jeopardy. >> we believe that the owners of for-profit companies should not be allowed to assert their

personal religious views. >> democratic lawmakers denounced the decision as an attack on the rights of women. republican leaders called it a victory for religious freedom and a defeat for what they say is government overreach by the obama administration. those represents hobby lobby insists the decision is a narrow one. >> this opinion is very focused on closely held, family owned businesses that have a religious objection to the contraception mandate. it does not apply to ibm or others. >> still the president and others in congress are looking at what action they might take to ensure all women get full contraception coverage. the supreme courthanded down another big decision today, this one affecting labor decisions. certain home health-care workers in illinois do not have to pay union dues if they don't want to

join the union. but the court left the door open for manageder to dues in other states. in 26 states employs will still have to join unions and pay their dues. team usa is getting ready for a gruelling match tomorrow against belgium. lee has more. >> reporter: with well over a week to go, there has already been more goals in this world cup than the entire 2013 world cup. there have been 21 goals, over 5 goals per game. but can the united states do it in attack. the statistics say in terms of forming attacks that they are the second-worst in the

tournament. but the way they have come through shows they have a real chance against belgium. the coach is a world cup winner, and you notice how difficult the united states team is to beat. and that is a key thing they will be relying on. in terms of trying to get the goals, maybe josie will be back possibly from the start. he has missed time due to a hamstring problem. but remember this is a team underrated, they are ranked 13th in the world. looking through the history books an incredible batch between the usa and bell gum. the only time the united states have beatel belgium was in the very first world cup in 1930. can they do it again? >> let's hope so!

up next, broken borders, broken dreams. we'll show you the risk that tens of thousands of immigrants are making to come to mark, and we'll look at the new plan to try to keep them from trying. and why are so many central americans convinced that the united states is giving out free passes to undocumented immigrants.

♪ >> driven by desperation, risks their lives, ripping apart their families. tens of thousands of central americans, many just children, making the dangerous journey to reach the u.s. >> i'm beginning a new effort to fix our immigration system as i can on my own. >> we'll look at why so many are risking it all tonight to find more heart ache in their destination.

this is al jazeera america, i'm david shuster, the number of migrants crossing the border has been historic. last year nearly 450 bodies were found along the southwest border with mexico. it's not known how many were children. texas authorities identified one young victim. they found the body of an 11-year-old boy from guatemala. investigators identified him by his angry bird's jeans and a phone number for his brother in chicago scribbled on the inside of his belt buckle. migrants are hoping if they make it into the united states they will be able to stay, and they are do not always wrong, as heidi zhou castro reports. >> reporter: after the six days of travel and three days of

detention, this 26-year-old clutches her son in one hand, a plastic bag containing her whole future in the other. immigration officers dropped off the mother and child at this bus terminal texas moments ago. inside the bag is a permit to remain in the country for 30 days. that's when a judge will decide whether to deport them back to honduras. >> translator: getting in the country feels good, she says, but she didn't come here to feel good. she came for a better future for her son and herself. border patrol picked them up after they crossed the rio grand on a raft. but what would have once been the end of their american dream now seems to be a detour. they are now freeholding bus tickets to join relatives in florida. with detention centers at triple

capacity, u.s. immigration officials drop off about 500 women and children at this bus terminal each day. she says she had heard rumors that single mothers and children would be allowed to stay in the u.s. that's why she came now she says. a spokes woman says these families are screened fingerprinted and still subject to removal, but many of the mothers say they see it as a free pass. this woman also from honduras says she sought out border patrol officers knowing they would help her. everyone says the united states is helping immigrants enter, she says. what is driving the migration? the rumor that the permit allows you to stay in the u.s. and the lack of job in central america. she says the dangers of the journal and the discomfort of

the detention are a small price to pay. she hasn't showered or brushed her teeth in three days. four blocks away the mothers and children find an oasis. behind these gates a volunteer-run shelter that offers food, rest, and compassion. >> if i were in the same situation, and my children were starving and in danger, as a mother, i would do anything to keep them safe and to bring them to the promise land. >> catholic charities runs the shelter. the government has nothing but the world of these mothers that they will appear for their hearings, but for the moment those worries are set aside, here what matters is a warm shower and the journey still ahead. it's different now. no more detention. now we go to our families. so in 30 days she'll have to

make a decision, appear in court, and risk deportation, or stay hidden and undocumented. heidi zhou castro, al jazeera, texas. there is no way of knowing how many choose to stay hidden and undocumented, but that possibility along with rumors of special permits are enough to convince central american residents to gamble and try to cross the border. paul? >> that's right. it's a gamble to leave, it's a gamble to make it across mexico, and a gamble to try to cross the border. but it's the consistent rumors of a permit that are making these people try to find a way to stay in the country. the journey comes full circle here. day and night, one, two, sometimes as many as ten or 12

buses pull up here, dropping off hundreds of dirty, dehydrated, exhausted hon dur ans. >> we have entire families coming back from mexico. they were on their way to the u.s., and didn't make it. they have been brought back to this government shelter. some have family members here to pick them up, others will be transported to another shelter. we saw young children coming off seemingly by themselves. why did they go north now? many of them told us about a rumor that has made its way south. >> we went because of the permit they were giving minors to stay there. we heard if they were a parentless child they would give you permission to go into the us. >> translator: we heard that

when we made it to the other side of the river they would give us a permit. >> reporter: this rumor may have started with this document. it's a not to appear before an immigration judge in 30 days, but in the meantime, they are freed with a bus ticket to stay with relatives in the us. honduras is also grappling with hearsay about immigration rules. >> translator: about four months ago it started to increase. we don't know about this policy they are supposed to be managing, but it has been part of the increase in children traveling to the u.s. >> reporter: part of the problem may be the criminal smugglers who charge thousands of dollars to make teem north. the hon dur ran government is running tv ads warning parents not to trust the coyotes who are

spreading the rumor. >> translator: the coyotes are taking advantage. they are the ones profitting >> operator. >> reporter: even jack admitted he didn't know for sure if the rumor was true or false. >> translator: i thought it might be true, who knows. but now i'm learning it is a big lie. >> reporter: at the bus station where many migrants begin their hopeful journey, the rumors persist. a young mother told me why she is leaving. where are you going in >> translator: i'm looking for the american dream. >> reporter: she said she heard it was easier to get in with children. but she said she was going north. >> translator: i'm going to look for work so my boy's life can change. >> reporter: the lesson seems to be rumors true or untrue won't

stop someone determined to pursue a dream. the violence the crime, the corruption and lack of opportunity hasn't changed for these people in their country. but the short-term spike is definitely drirn -- driven by rumors. we even spoke to the government official, he is a government official, and he was confused about whether it was true or false. he said so many people are going, i think there had to be something to it. >> that was a great piece. and we have another piece from paul coming up in just a few minutes. thank you. the white house has been trying to slow down the flood of children immigrants. today president obama said he will bypass congress and deal

with the steps on his own. >> against the backdrop of that desperate struggle, there is a complicated political situation here in washington as well. president obama appeared in the rose garden a week after john boehner personally told him there would be no immigration reform moving through the house of representatives. it was a year ago this week that it passed the senate and hope was high that something would happen. it's not going to happen this year, so the president says he is going to move forward with more of those executive actions that he has been doing. he says he is going to ask for recommendations and have those ready by the end of the summer, and moving 150 border guards to the area in south texas and asking congress for $2 billion for things like immigration judges, lawyers, asylum processors, and humanitarian aid for those who come to this country and are put in makeshift

housing situations. >> i take executive action only when we have a serious problem, a serious issue, and congress chooses to do nothing. and in this situation, the failure of house republicans to pass a darn bill is bad for our security, our economy, and future. and the president wants to do one ore thing with those individuals including the unook companied minors. he wants to expedite the process by which they are sent back to their home countries. >> mike i would imagine that that is not sitting very well with many democrats. how are they responding? and how are republicans responding to the other stuff you are talking about. >> that's a great point. because one of the core

constituencies is the latino and hispanic community here. and some of them are very dangerous with president obama calling him the deporter in chief. but john boehner blamed another action. you heard paul report on the rumor that is sweeping these countries. but the president signing an executive order that allowed the dreamers, the young people that came to this country and lived here and grew up here, he lessened the enforcement and effectively allowed them to stay in the country. here is what john boehner said . . . the democrats however, on balance think this is a political winner because republicans are in a tough spot. this is an issue that cleaves their party right in half.

>> indeed. mike thank you as always. jennifer has worked directly with children migrants for the past ten years. she joins us tonight from washington, d.c. explain the status the children have right now, given what the president is doing, and what is happening along the border. what is the status for children who are caught there? >> sure. so as soon as a child is apprehended, they are immediately put into deportation proceedings. so immediately the go starts the process, trying to deport that child. >> and of those numbers who are go through the deportation proceeding, how many end up getting asylum or a visa? >> that's a great question. it really depends on if those children are ever screened or have access to an attorney or explains their rights. if a child has legal

representation, almost 40% of them might be eligible for some sort of humanitarian relief in the united states. some sort of asylum or protective visa, so they can stay and don't have to return to a dangerous situation. without an attorney, it's virtually impossible for a child to depend themselves in immigration court, going up against a judge or government attorney. >> what do you hear -- from them about why they are taking such chris ks to try to cross into the united states? >> as i have spoken to these children, particularly since this influx started, these children talk about fleeing from a dangerous situation, feeling pushed out of their home countries. children who were doing well, who were with family a able to go to school, and they said, you know, it's just not safe for me anymore to be there, or i can't physically get to the university or school, because there are gangs or some sort of criminal

organization that own the buses or are recruiting outside of my schools, and i can't get to my school anymore. i think making the decision to try to cross through mexico without permission, to try to ride on top of a very dangerous train is not something that anybody is taking lightly. many know the risk, as many rumors as there are about what might happen when they get there, there is a lot of good information about how dangerous this is. i have spoken to mothers who said they put their daughters on birth control before they started the journey, because they expect their daughters to get risked. >> and what do the mothers and children say about those dangerous situations? >> i spoke to a boy who said if i stay in honduras i would

eventually die. if i make the journey i might live. >> do you see the situation changing at all in the next couple of months? the >> i don't think it's a simple answer. the administration is just going to try to stem the tide. but that is not going to detouring somebody who is risking dying staying in their country. i think the administration needs to stay on the initial policy it started, to really address the root causes of this migration flow, to make communities safe so people can stay and don't have to come here. >> jennifer thanks for being on our program. >> thank you.

up next why they risk everything. the fear and desperation that lead one teenager to travel thousands of miles to the united states, and the reunion, seven years in the making. we'll meet a hon dur ran family, separated by violence and immigration policies. ♪

>> announcer: broken borders, broken dreams, an al jazeera special report. for many young central americans choosing to travel over than 1200 miles to the united states border is the lesser of two evils. in many cases they are leaving violence and poverty behind for the american dream. >> reporter: in the standings of a neighborhood soccer field, alex fernandes told me how much he misses his little brother axle. >> translator: we were also together him and me. i tried to take care of him.

i didn't think he had it in him to leave. now i'm basically alone. >> reporter: this spring 15-year-old axle headed north. i met him in april after he traveled more than 2,000 miles. after a failed attempt to cross the desert, he surrendered himself to the u.s. border patrol, and allowed to travel to see his father in hewn. alex told me he studies hard and keeps his head down, but he said the bad guys had their eye on his popular and outgoing younger brother. afraid of being forced to join a gang he decided to leave. >> translator: he was getting to the ang where he was going to have problems with delinquents and gangs. they forced him to go to the u.s. >> reporter: this is often called the murder capitol of the

world. it's the deadliest place in a country not formally at war. we were told out a militariest court we would either be killed or kidnapped immediately if we went near alex and axle's home. this is a typical neighborhood. the kind of place with axle and his brothers and sisters grew up. we're not going to take you to that neighborhood, because being here with place protection would draw attention to their family. this is the kind of place where you are either in with the gangs or you are out. and axle decided to get out. many who don't get out end up in a place like this. juvenile prison. what kind of options do kids this age have? is it either the a gangs or head

north? >> translator: the sad reality is the day they age out and step out of the door of the facility, they are going to find the same situation that put them here in the first place. >> reporter: they threw a grenade in here? and inside is just as dangerous. a few weeks ago five kids were killed in a gang clash. alex and axle's mother agreed to meet me, but even here she was weary of being overheard. >> translator: i have to be very cautious to say what i'm about to say. there are some things you not supposed to say here. you join or you are killed. boys as young as 12, 15 years old had to leave. leaving seems to be the only solution. >> axle is in the u.s. now, but he may be deported. what is going to happen to him if he has to come home? >> translator: if he ended up back here, and didn't go back to

the states quickly. they would kill him. that is what would happen. >> paul beban joining us now in studio. are there any parts that feel safer in the town than the oppression we feel in that piece. >> every establishment has private armed security guards, but it's those neighbors where families live where people are unsafe, where the gangs run rough shot over families and communities and these young teenage boys who are their prime victims for recruitment. they really just don't have a lot of options. >> and how much attention were you drawing trying to do this piece. >> we were the center of attention wherever we went. but there's no other way to do it. the emergency room has a 24-hour heavily armed guard. let's say there is a drug

assassination attempt, and if that person isn't killed the gang members will follow him into the emergency room to finish the job. >> thank you, paul. morgan radford caught up with one undocumented migrant who managed to build a life in upstate new york. >> he got teary eyed describing the violence that prompted his son to travel through guatemala and mexico. he finally reached the united states border and that's where he got caught. he stands here waiting. and when he is not waiting, he is working. preparing a home for a son he hasn't seen in eight years. from honduras he crossed the

border illegally in 2006, but only had enough money to bring one person, his wife or his son. i asked manuel why he chose to leave his son behind. >> because i knew he could live with his grandmother who would raise him in the christian faith. after manuel junior was threatened by a gang member back home, thanks changed. >> translator: not even the military of government can control the gangs. those who don't want to be in a gang, who knows what happens to him. >> reporter: so they paid an illegal guide, called a coyote to smuggle his son into the united states. >> translator: we made a decision of two or three days of suffering is better than suffering every day in honduras. >> reporter: but he was caught at the border in texas. he spent nine days in detention,

and there, his father says children were abused. >> translator: he told me if the immigration officers called them and the kids didn't come quick enough, the immigration officers would come and kick them. >> reporter: after nine days wearing the same clothes, border patrol sent manuel junior to a place for children. there he was given new clothes and english classes but still wasn't free. >> these are lock-down systems. they don't get a free pass. they have to appear in court, and if they don't appear in court, they will given a notice of deportation. >> reporter: in new york state there are 50,000 outstanding cases. but for now manuel is happy because just days after we left, this happened.

[ applause ] >> reporter: immigration authorities put manuel junior on a plane to be reunited with his parents. [ sobbing ] >> reporter: manuel hopes his son is home for good. with a chance to live the american dream legally. >> there was not a dry eye in the building. manuel said he hopes this story shows u.s. lawmakers that every immigrant isn't bad. and specifically when it comes to kids that are fleeing unthinking violence in their home countries. we end our special with an image that caught our eye. a honduras teenager sitting on railway tracks. thousands of kids just like him are making the dangerous trek to

the u.s. border. many forced from their homes by violence, poverty gang violence. i'm david shuster.

on "america tonight" - iraq's fearsome fighters declare the creation of an islamic state. what a calafat means, and how the roots of this declaration reach back do the end of world war i, but now pose a threat for the region's future. also - the case that brought some of the nations biggest civil rights advocates and protesters to a town in louisiana, sara hay with a look at the men known as the