you can find us on twitter @ajconsiderthis. we'll see you next time. >> hello, everybody and welcome to jazz -- al jazeera america. john siegenthaler has the night off. you are watching the only live national newscast at this hour. just ahead, showdown. there's a new wave of protests in the california city where us about loads of immigrants were turned back. watch out! hurricane arthur has weakened but it's packing a punch as it moves up the east coast. yosemite, like you have never seen before. 150 years of breathtaking

photos. and home on the range. the push to make bison the national mammal. ♪ >> on a night when fireworks are lighting up the sky across electric country to help celebrate freedom, we begin this hour in marietta, california. this evening, protesters in that southern california city seem more determined than ever to keep the american dream in the hands of americans alone. the activists, some waving u.s. flags remain on guard, ready to block the arrival of more bus loads of migrants. it's a very stark contrast with the quieter tone of the immigrant debate today in washington. caitlin ford reports. ♪ >> marking independence day with an oath. >> that i will bear arms on behalf of the united states. >> president barack obama naturalized a group of new

citizens today, welcoming them as new americans, but mindful of the bitter battle over immigration. >> i will keep doing everything i can do to make our immigration smarter and more efficient so hard working men and women, like all of you, have the opportunity to join the american family and to serve our great nation, so we can be stronger and more prosperous and more whole together. >> but the fact is the country is sharply divided, with emotions running high, especially here in mariettea, california. protesters blocked bus loads of undocumented immigrants, many of them children, from entering their town. >> use the word "illegal aliens." they came across here illegally! >> demonstrators were back again today, amid speculation that more buses were arriving. they were charged with obstructing an officer. this follows texas governor

rick perry's controversial stance saying undocumented immigrants should immediately be deported if. >> if we do not clearly say you cannot come into the united states, just because somebody is handing out a flyer, then this is only going to get worse. >> still, the president is vowing to press on, but comprehensive legislation is yet to come. >> the basic idea of welcoming immigrants to our shores is central to our way of life. it is in our dna. >> but immigration reform faces an uphill battle, in washington, and across the country. kaelyn forde, al jazeera. >> in marietta california, the mayor pro tem was where the migrants were being brought to facility by bus. he joined us earlier by phone. >> i think there are some people who are racist, but if you look at the signs and the

conversation that's going around, it seems like there's a lot of racial tension on both sides. i have read a lot of the spanish side and i have heard a lot of the language that is used and it's appalling on both sides. when you live in a country that has freedom of speech, that's a double edged sword and you can't help some people act immaturity or have bad taste. >> coming up at the half, broken borders and broken dreams will take an in-depth look at the immigration crisis here in the united states. president obama, as you saw, celebrated july 4th by helping foreign born members of the military become naturalized citizens. the white house ceremony recognized contributions the service members made to the united states. the president promised to improve what he calls the nation's broken immigration system. one man sworn in today was oscar gonzalez, a private first class in the u.s. marine corps. in tonight's first person report, we talk to him about what it means to be an american. >> my name is oscar gonzalez.

i'm a marine of the united states, a country that just -- just about everybody around the world dreams of being in. i was born in guatemala. when i came, i was 16 years old. i didn't quite fit in right away. but as time went on, i just started to see how the american life was, like -- i always looked up to service men and women at a young age. has the marine corps changed me? yes, it has. it has brought a lot of discipline. it made me a better man. after i leave the white house from the naturalization ceremony, just -- i'm going to pinch myself and see if it's

happening for real. i'm never going to forget who i am, or where i came from. it's just destiny. it's just life, and i'm part of this. and i'm part of this nation, and i'm -- i'm going to do the best i can out of it. >> marine private first class, oscar gonzalez. in jerusalem, israeli police clashed with palestinian protesters today following the funeral of an arab team. it took place in an area of jerusalem that is usually peaceful. we have the latest. >> this is never supposed to happen, especially in front of the cameras. a father receiving the body of his teenaged sun but hussein abu khdeir's grief is public.

it ignited unrest in a palestinian neighborhood that's lurely -- usually calm. one family member said this was not a funeral. it was a wedding attended by thousands for a martyr. in spirit and blood, they chant, we will redeem you. the grief and the fury erupted. for the third straight day, right outside the family home, palestinian protesters fought israeli police. police shoot tear gas and rubber bullets, their attempt to pacify this residential area. protesters though -- throw rocks their symbol that jerusalem is unified. this is not a refugee camp or a poor neighborhood. this is one of the main thoroughfares in all of jerusalem. this neighborhood is a middle class, if not upper middle

class. this man says that israelis and palestinians are at a crossroads. >> we are at a turning point. people realize that they have been deceived. >> the fighting injured more than 30 palestinians and more than a dozen israeli officers. israeli police say they are actively trying to find mohammad's killers, hoping to quell the anger. >> we are hoping that things will calm down and obviously the main focus, which will have an effect on the ground level, is the investigation into the teenager's death which is continuing. >> today, the violence is on two fronts, on the border of gaza, a handful of israeli rockets have hit palestinian homes. one exploded in this woman's bedrooms. dozens of rockets have sparked fires. israel has reinforced the troop numbers. >> we are hoping the weekend that the message on a level was given and diplomatic level to

hamas will be understood and there won't be any further major rockets in cities deep in israel. >> jerusalem, it's the israeli-palestinian divide that's deep, and increasingly, the tension is not just about the abduction and the murders of israeli teenagers. nick schiff rinn, al jazeera, jerusalem. in iraq, nouri al-maliki vowed to push for a new term in office. meanwhile, the united states has tried to keep iraq's kurdish region alive. secretary of state john kerry met with the chief of staff of the kurdish presentation. this is after the kurdish president called for a referendum on independence. this is worrying some.

>> this checkpoint is guarded by the iraqi police and the kurds. there are two authorities here. it has been this way for years but the balance of power seems to be shifting. >> you always needed an iraqi visa to enter kakuk. iraqi police at this checkpoint didn't want to let us through but we managed to enter the area. the kurds have the final say here. this oil-rich province has long been disputed territory, claimed by baghdad and the kurdish regional government. now the kurds no longer feel obliged to answer to a central government, weakened by a rebellion. they plan to hold a referendum for independence from iraq, but there's opposition. not just from the shiite led government. >> we want the government in baghdad to leave power but we don't want iraq as a state to collapse. state institutions should be

preserved. the kurds don't have the right to decide our fate. >> but karkuk has new borders. it's in the hands of some armed groups after they pushed the iraqi army out. the kurdish forces have moved into other areas once controlled by the government and their political leadership has made clear they have no intention of leaving. this has angered the arab members of kakuk's provincial council. they may may not support nouri al-maliki's government, but they don't want a divided iraq. >> yes, they are deployed on the front lines to protect these areas from armed groups and defend them, but it shouldn't mean anything has changed. but a lot has. the government has lost influence here and the arab districts of this province are now on the other side of a new dividing line. the president of the kurdistan regional government may have been right when he said there

is a new reality on the ground. one of the world's youngest democracies is about to have a presidential election. indonesia which was a dictatorship just 20 years ago could see as many as 190 million citizens vote on wednesday, the last day of campaigning is tomorrow. the race has been marked by theatrics and personal attacks that would rival any election here in the united states. steph vessen has the layest from west java. >> front-runner on the campaign trail. he's seen as a man of the people. his popularity went up in the last two years due to his personal touch. but during this presidential campaign, the governor has been struggling. something that has been blamed on a lack of organization and a smear campaign against him. in the world's largest muslim country, a tabloid newspaper says wedodo who is a muslim is actually a chinese christian,

although the election banned this, but damage was done. political issues have dominated this campaign to the point that he has to prove he's a real muslim. >> so when i go to the people, i explain about the issue. so after that, i'm sure that people know that i'm a muslim. >> so it's not because he has a better campaign that he's getting closer to you? >> no. thor. >> the subianto ace campaign says this was just a fashion statement. >> if you talk about a black campaign, we also have our portion of black campaign that aims to us.

but, for example, prabowo is going to kill joko widodo. and there's a picture of him depicted hitler. >> this campaign has shown again how indonesian elections are about personalities rather than policies. issues like infrastructure, and religious intolerance have hardly been addressed. to most indonesian, the choice between joko widodo and prabowo subianto is between a presidential candidate who has links to the past and another one with a new style. they will decide who will run the third largest democracy. back in the united states, hurricane arthur washed out 4th of july plans for many folks on the east coast.

the storm weakened to a category one after making landfall in north carolina. tonight it continues its path northwood. meteorologist rebecca stevenson is tracking it. >> hurricane arthur continues to weaken. it's beginning a transition as you can see on the radar and the satellite. a transition into what is called april extra tropical storm. it's similar to the typical storms that make their way across the u.s. the amount of rainfall has been impressive. we have video of flooding coming out of massachusetts. this is new bedford where the video of the flooding is coming. new bedford reports the highest amount of rainfall coming in today for the entire united states. 2.98 inches at last report. so it's clear we are going to have some areas of flooding and some damage as we move the storm farther to the northeast. we start to total up the precipitation amounts even into maine and negotiate.

wind -- nova scotia. 51 miles per hour at mart that's vineyard. these winds are expected to be fairly strong and tropical storm strength for the next hour and a half before it begins to gradually ease off, as that storm moves to the east. so the higher rain totals going up into canada, but now tonight after the fireworks our transition is into air quality which is going to be a problem in some parts because of fireworks smoke. david? >> rebecca, thank you. it is the 150th anniversary of yosemite national park. in the early 20th century photographer, an sell -- ansel adams has taken stunning black and white photos. melissa chan has the story in today's friday arts. >> they come from across the country and around the world to take in this iconic view. unmistakably yo sam mettity --

yosemite. so many people have taken photos at yosemite, millions over the years. but what is it that makes some photographers shine above the rest. we start at the very beginning and name is carlton watkins. >> advertise first trip was in 1861. he wasn't the first photographer to enter yosemite but certainly his work set a certain standard for how to photograph it. >> carlton watkins' images made their way to washington, d.c., to president abraham lincoln who passed the grant that turned yosemite into the nation's first protected land. >> if you think about that moment, 1863ish, '4ish, there are two types of photographs, images of civil war battlefields and images of yosemite, this pacific eden. >> but as carlton watkins made yosemite famous in america, it took another artist more than half a century later to elevate yosemite to global heights.

ansel adams. >> it's very dramatic, but it's not necessarily what you would see if you looked at that image. and ansel always would say, that's important. i'm giving you what i want you to see, not what you will see in nature. >> ansel adams and his intense black and whites. >> and he used this instrument and other things to increase light in one area or decrease it in another area, to make the photograph much more dramatic. >> his son, michael adams, was actually born in yosemite. >> we took pack trips into the back country using burros to carry the camera and the food and the beds in yosemite. >> no other artists will ever be so inextricably tied to yosemite and yet as the park celebrates its 150th 150th birthday, one photograph shows there may yet be more variations on a theme.

it's taken from the same spot where ansel adams had stood decades earlier. >> his work is against what you measure yourself. you try to do some things that hasn't ton. >> young says yosemite's infinite variety means there will always be something new to discover here and that this place will remain for photographers generations to come, an inspiration, as long as you are willing to get off the beaten track and explore. melissa tran, yosemite, national park california. coming up, the bison bill, what congress is going to protect one of america's most iconic symbols. the 50th state or is it? there's a debate in hawaii right now.

fireworks represent freedom for many americans and tonight there was no shortage. july 4th celebrations took place all over the country, illuminating the skies from the 238 year of american independence. as the united states celebrates the holiday weekend, islanders in hawaii are questioning their own past. a bid to build a native hawaiian government is raising the question, should the united states have any legal claim over the 50th state? we explain. >> hawaii's language and culture is widely celebrated on the islands now, however the teaching of hawaiian was banned after the kingdom of hawaii was overthrown and the land annexed

by the united states. it's this history of colonization, that those with native hawaiian ancestry hope will be addressed by a native hawaiian government, similar to those of native american tribes in the mainland u.s. >> if you have a legal entity, it can pursue the rights that have been lost as a consequence of colonization. >> over a year and a half, tens of thousands of mative hawaiians like bill have signed up. bud suddenly, the enor -- but suddenly, entire framework of the hawaii was questioned by the head of the state agency. in a letter to the state department in may, the c.e.o. of the office of hawaiian affairs questioned the international legality of hawaii as the u.s.'s 50th 50th state and he asked whether he had incurred criminal liability under international law.

hawaii's queen was overthrown at the urging of the sugar barons and with the help of washington. but it was long recognized as a sovereign nation, unlike the native american tribes, no treaty was sign consenting to u.s. oversight and dependency. for those would have long highlighted the distinct history of colonization, the c.e. ox's -- the c.e.o.'s surprise intervention is welcomed. >> the u.s. is trying to pretend that none of this happened. the best we can hope for is to be native americans under the governing power of united states, and hawaiians simply -- and a growing number of hawaiians are simply saying that's not true. that's not who we are. that's not who we were then. and we should and can have our country back. >> even for those who were determined to see a native governing entity formed within

the u.s., the recent dediscovery of hawaiian history is welcomed. >> our history was written by westerners who have had us forget that there was no annexation and this was an illegal overthrow. so when you start to step. >> more of your population understanding their history, then they start to ask, okay, so what are we going to do next? >> and that's what worries bill fernandez who thought the time had finally come for hawaiian self-determination within the u.s.a. >> you have to accept the reality that you have been colonized. so what do you do? you must find a means to work within the existing system. >> but in attempting to consolidate that system, an unprecedented discussion is now underway on its validity. the great plains bison could soon become the official national mammal of the united states. congress is considering a bill

recognizing the iconic symbol of the american west. it wouldn't replace the bald eagle. it's more about maintaining a home where the buffalo can roam. jim huley has the story. >> they are strong and sturdy, a real life representation of american resilience. >> they are like the symbol of america. they survived a lot. >> he got a little banged up here. >> and so has marty hamola. >> well, we were hurding the buffalo and i had a foot on each side and she decided to hit the truck instead of going off the right side. >> marty understands bison, also known as buffalo. he's tended to this herd in the shadow of the rocky mountains about 20 miles west of the denver for the past 44 years. >> they are just an animal that really has survived mankind to tell you the truth, you know. and they have always been a symbol of the west, since

the -- since the explorers came out here. you know, they intrigued them and they intrigued people nowadays. >> the move to adopt bison as the national mammal has its origins in south dakota where 33,000 of the animals now roam. a far cry from the bisons sad history. tens of millions of mammals once populated the area. it was decimated through slaughter to just 700. today, it's estimated some 400 to 500,000 bison land on public and private lands across every state in the u.s.? >> this looks look a perfect mace for this herd. >> absolutely. this is a great pasture. this he have good green grass. we had a good spring here. >> jim mathieson is with the national bison association, representing ranchers and farmers. >> it's a special armer. it's incredibly hardy and incredibly resourceful and for all of these reasons, we think it would be a good fit for the

national mammals. >> but there's problems, something has to be done for the huge herd for in the yellowstone national park. but for herders like marty hanola, respect for bison is long overdue. >> they have been on our money. they have been on, you know, our coins. they are as good awe -- a symbol as the eagle. >> similar legislation to name the bison as the national mammal stalled in congress two years ago. it would not offer the bison any additional protection. and what is the 4th of july without the nathan's hot dog eating contest. for the eighth year in a row on coney island, joey chestnut took home the top honors. he ate 61 hot dogs in ten minutes. that's eight less than last year. and there was another win for chestnut. right before taking the stage and consuming more than

17,000 calories, he proposed to his girlfriend. she said yes. coming up, an in-depth special broken dreams, broken borders. why so many migrants are willing to risk life and limb, just for a chance at the american dream.

>> driven by desperation, risking 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 as much of our immigration system as i can on my own. >> we look at why so many are making the dangerous journey and risking it all. only to find more heartache at their destination, an al jazeera special report, broken borders, broken dreams. >> this is al jazeera america i'm david shuster. the number of migrants crossing the border illegally into the united states in recent months has been stunning and historic.

in the past year, more than 50,000 children have left their families to attempt the dangerous trek. not all of them make it. last year, nearly 450 bodies were found along the southwest border with mexico. it's not known how many were children. texas authorities have identified one young victim. they found the body of an 11-year-old boy from guatemala would got lost in the brush a few miles from the mexican border. the investigators identified him by his angry birds jeans and a phone number for his brother in chicago scribbled on the inside of his belt buckle. what is behind this treacherous rush for the border? migrants are clinging to the hope that once they make it into the united states, they will be able to stay, even if they don't have the proper documents. and they are not always wrong. as heidi joe castro reports. >> after six days of travel and three days of detention, 26-year-old cindy jimenez

clutches her son in one hand and a plastic bag containing her home for the future in the other. immigration officers dropped off the mother and child at this bus terminal in calen, 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. [ speaking spanish ] >> 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. the border patrol picked them up after they crossed the rio grande on a raft. jimenez and her son are now tree, holding bus tickets to join relatives in florida. more than 16,000 central american immigrants arriving in the rio grande valley each month, u.s. immigration officials drop off about 500

women and children at this mccalen bus terminal each day. [ speaking spanish ] >> she had heard rumors that single brothers and children will be allowed to stay in the u.s. that's why she came now, she says. an i.c.e. spokeswoman says these families are screened, fingerprinted and are still subject to removal. many of the mothers say they see it as a free pass. cynthia also from honduras says she sought out border patrol officers knowing they would help her. everyone says the united states is helping immigrantsen, she says. what's driving the migration? the rumor that the permit allows you to stay in the u.s. and the lack of jobs in central america, the mothers say. jimenez says the dangers of the journey and the discomfort of detention is a small price to pay. she hasn't showered or brushed

her teeth in three days. four blocks away from the bus terminal, they find an oasis. hind 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 my children were 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 and acknowledges it is controversial. the government has nothing but the word of these mothers that they will appear for their immigration hearings, but for the moment, those worries are set aside. here, what matters is a warm shower and the journaly still ahead. [ speaking spanish ] >> it's different now, says a refreshed jimenez. no more detention. now we go to our families. >> so in 30 days, she will have to mack -- make a decision, appear in court and risk deportation or stay hidden and undocumented.

heidi joe castro, al jazeera, mccalen, texas. >> there's no way of knowing how many stay hidden and undocumented but the possibility along with rumors of special permits for young migrants are enough to convince central american residents to gamble and try to cross the border. paul beanen joins with us that story tonight. >> it's a gamble to leave honduras. it's a gamble to try to make it all the way across mexico and then try to cross the border. these persistent rumors of a permit, that have these people taking the journey and find a way to stay in the country. on a dusty side street in san pedro sula, the journey comes full circle. day and night, one, two, sometimes as many as 10 or 12 buses pull up here, dropping off hundreds of dirty, dehydrated, exhausted hondurans

who either got caught in mexico heading north or simply gave up and turned themselves? >> we have us about loads of people, women, children, coming back from mexico on their way to the u.s. they didn't make it. they have been brought back to this government shelter. some of them have families here to meet them and pick them up. others are here to be picked up. we saw some young children coming off, seemingly by themselves. it's a chaotic, desperate scene. why did they go north now? many of us told them about a rumor that's made its way south. >> we went because of the permit that they were giving minors stayed there. they said if they arrived without a parent. >> we heard if we presented ourselves with our daughter to the migration authorities in the u.s., that they would give us a permit. >> but the fact is, there is no permit. it may be about this document,

that women with children are being given. it's a notice 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 u.s. jack aguilar, a family welfare worker told me that honduras is also grappling with hearsay about u.s. immigration rules. [ speaking spanish ] >> about four months ago, maybe three months ago, it started to increase. we don't know about this policy they are supposed to be managing or where the rumor came from, but it's part of the increase of children traveling to the u.s. >> part of the problem may be the so-called coyotes, criminal smugglers who charge thousands of dollars to take people north. the honduran government is running tv ads warning parents not to trust the coyotes who are spreading the rumor. >> the coyotes are taking advantage. the people profiting are the

ones making the money out of the situation, are those people, the coyotes. >> even jack admitted that he hadn't been completely sure whether the rumor was true or false. [ speaking spanish ] >> seeing all of these people make this kind of decision, i thought it might be true. who knows. but now i'm learning that it's a big lie. >> at san pedro sula's bus station, where many migrants begin their hopeful journey, the rumors persist. a young mother we will call maria has told me where she's leaving. why are you going? >> i'm looking for the american dream. >> maria said it was easier to get in with children, although she was not sure. either way, she's going north. >> why are you going to the united states? >> i'm going to look for work, to my boy's life can change. >> the lesson here seems to be rumors true, or untrue, won't stop someone determined to chase a dream. >> now, it's important to point out that the underlying conditions in these countries, david, haven't changed. the violence, the crime, the

corruption, the lack of opportunity, those things have been driving people out of this area for years and they will continue to do so. but the short-term spike is being fueled by rumors about this permit. >> when people are told by yourself, these are just rumors, and you explain the confusion, what is the reaction? >> it's remarkable. some people even argue with me. no, no, i heard that right when i got this, they changed the policy. we spoke to the government official you saw, jack aguilar. he's a government official. he was confused. he said, i think you're right, it's all just a rumor. >> it's a great piece and we have another piece from paul in a couple of minutes. the white house has been trying to slow down the flood of immigrants by detaining and deporting migrants more quickly. president obama says he will bypass congress and deal with the immigration crisis on his own and the steps he's preparing are controversial. mike mckara has more from the white house. >> as the humanitarian crisis continues to unfold, more

political gridlock here in washington, immigration reform going nowhere in congress this year. >> president obama says he's fed one house republicans and if they keep blocking immigration reform, he will go around them again if he has to. >> their argue. seems to be that because the system is broken, we shouldn't make an effort to fix it. it makes no sense. it's just politics, plain and simple. >> president obama says he will sign executive actions with some reforms by the end of the summer. in the meantime, he's moving 150 border agents to rio grande valley where the tide of tens of thousands of immigrants, including many unaccompanied children from central america has overwhelmed the immigration system. the president will also ask congress for what he called a huge of resources. more than $2 billion, for more immigration judges, silent

processors after touring a texas military base, turned migrant detention center, jay johnson expressed optimism. >> i believe we are going to stem this tide and we are going to solve this problem and we are going to remain focused on doing that. >> to do that, the president wants to speed up the process of sending the children back to their home countries, where they may face menacing youth gangs and high crime. that angers some reform advocates, some of whom are already upset with mr. obama, referring to him as deporter in chief. the white house says that the children are driven by a false rumor spread by criminal syndicates. if they can reach the u.s., they won't be deported but republicans blame an early obama action that made it easier for people to enter as children and grow up here to remain. in a statement, house speaker john boehner calls that giving false hope to children and

their families that if theyened -- if they entered country, they will be able to stay. president obama came to the rose garden for monday's announce. >> the own thing i can't do is stand by and do nothing. >> now vice president joe biden was in central america trying to send a message that the permits, the false rumors is not accurate. if you come here, you will be sent back in you are from central america. this as secretary of state john kerry prepares to go to the region on tuesday with the same message. mike viquerira, washington. >> explain the status that the children have right now, given what the president is doing, and what's happening along the border. what is the status for children

that are caught there. >> as soon as a child is apprehended, or identified by customs and border protection, they are immediately put into deportation proceedings. so immediately the government starts the process, trying to deport that child. >> and of those numbers, who are going through the deportation proceeding, how many of them end up getting asylum or a visa? >> that's a great question. it really depends if the children are ever screened, if they get access to an attorney and if anyone explains to them their rights. if a child has legal representation, particularly this population of children, almost 40% of them might be eligible for some sort of humanitarian relief in the united states. some sort of asylum or protective visas so that they can stay here and don't have to return to a dangerous situation. without an attorney, it's virtually impossible for a child to defend themselves in immigration court, before a

judge, going up against a government attorney. >> given that the odds in general are so simple what are you hearing about the risks to get into the united states? >> as i have spoke spoken to these children. these children talk about kneeing from a dangerous situation, feeling pushed out of their home countries. children who were doing well, who were with family, who were able to go to school and their parents could afford to send them to school. they said it's no the safe for me to be there or i can't physically get to the university or the school, because there are either gangs or some sort of criminal organization that owns the buses or that do recruiting outside of my schools and i can't get there anymore. i can't get to work anymore because it's too dangerous. and they feel like they have no choice. i think making the decision to cross through, 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.

people know the risk. as many rumors as there are about what might happen when they get this there's a lot of good information about how dangerous this journey is. i have spoke tone mothers -- spoke tone -- spoken to mothers who put their children on birth control, because they expected their daughters to get raped on the journey. >> and what dot daughters or the children say about the risks and the dangers. >> i spoke to a child who put it so succinctly. he said, look, i felt like if i stayed in honduras, i would i die. if i make the journey, i might die but i might live. so i had to take the chance. >> with what the president outlined today, do you see the situation changing at all over the next couple of months? >> i don't think it's a simple answer that 9 administration can say they are just going to try to stem the flow or step the tide and try to send a couple of plain loads people through or stop giving people all the due process rights that

they have in the united states. that's not going to deter somebody who is risking dying to stay in their home country. i don't think a quick fix will be the answer. i think the administration needs to stay on the path that it had initially started with thinking about different attorney policies, did, foreign policies and address the root causes of this migration flow and make communities safe so people can stay and they don't have to come here. >> jennifer, she's with the women's refugee commission. thank you for being on our program. >> thank. >> you up next, why they risk everything, the fear and the desperation back home that jennifer was mentioning that led one teenager to travel thousands of miles to the united states. and the reunion seven years in the making. we will meet a honduran family separated by violence and immigration policies.

>> al jazeera america presents >> yeah, i'm different. i wanna do what god asks of me... 15 stories, 1 incredible journey >> edge of eighteen coming september only on al jazeera america

>> many young central americans choosing to try to travel more 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. paul beban brings us one of their personal stories. >> in the stands of a neighborhood soccer field in san pedro sula, alex fernandez

tells me how much he misses his little brother axel. >> we were always together, him and me. it was like that connection between two brothers. i tried to take care of him. i have didn't think he had it in him to leave. now i'm basically alone. >> this spring, 15-year-old axel headed north. i met him in april he traveled more than 2,000 miles from san pedro sula to mexico. surrendered himself to the u.s. border patrol and was allowed to join his father in houston, where he's been living undocumented for nearly a decade. axel's case is now in u.s. immigration court. back home, alex, a college student told me studies hard and keeps his head down but he says the bad guys had his eye on his popular and outgoing younger brother. afraid he would be forced to be in a gang. >> alex was getting to the age

where he would have problems with delinquents and gangs. they forced him to go to the u.s. >> san pedro sula is often called the deadliest city on earth in a country not formally at war. we were told that without a military escort, we would be either be killed or kidnapped immediately if we went anywhere near alex and axel's home, it's complete in the grip of the gangs. >> this is outside of san padro sula, a place where axel and his brothers and sisters grew up. we will not take you to that neighborhood because being here with police protection withdraw attention to his family and that's what they are concerned about. they pay extortion money. it's the keep of -- kind of place where you are either in with the gangs or out and axel decided to get out. >> many who don't get out end up in a place like this, juvenile prison. most of these kid are gang

members. this social worker says they face a kim future. >> carlos, what type of options do kids this age have? is it either 9 -- the gangs or head north. >> the day they age out of the facility, they will find the same situation that put them here in the first place. >> they threw a grenade in here? >> sy. >> and inside is just as dangerous. a few weeks ago, five kids were killed here in a gang clash. in a town square not far from her home, alex and axel's mother dora agreed to meet me but even here she was weary of being overheard talking about the gangs and her sons. >> i have to be cautious to say what i'm about to say. you are not supposed to some things. you join or you are killed. boys as young as 12, 15 years old had to leave. >> axel is in the u.s. now but

he may have to come home. he may be deported. what's going to happen to him if he has to come home? >> if he ended up back here and he didn't go back to the states weekendly, they would kill him. that's what would happen. >> paul beban in studio. are there any parts of san pedro that feel safer than the oppression we feel in that piece? >> you know, downtown is the commercial district and every establishment has some sort of private armed security guard. it's the neighborhoods where families live, where people are unsafe. it's where the gangs really run rough shod over families, over communities and especially over these young teenaged boys who are their prime victims for recruitment, either as targeted for extortion or new gang members. they really don't have a lot of options. >> and how much attention were you drawing trying to do the stand up this with the armed guards. >> we were the center of protection, particularly when we had the military escort. there's no other way to do it.

this is the city where the emergency room has a 24-hour heavily armed military guard because let's say there's a drug assess -- assassination attempt. if that person is not killed, they will follow them into the emergency room to finish them off. >> some terrific reporting, paul, thanks. for too many migrants, the long journey to the united states and the lengthy process to get proper documentation has left families torn apart for years. morgan ratford caught up with undocumented migrant who made a life in new york. she met him. >> miguel got teary eyed describing the gang violence that prompted his son to travel alone from honduras and traveling guatemala and mexico. that was when he reached the united states border and that's where he got caught. he stands here waiting and when he's not waiting, he's working,

preparing a home for a son he hasn't seep in eight years. from honduras, he crossed the border in 2006, he had enough money to bring his wife or his son. i asked miguel why he would leave his son behind. >> because i knew his grandmother would raise him in the christian faith. after a gang war, things changed. not even the military or the government can control the gangs in honduras. those who don't want to be in a gang, who knows what happens to them. so manuel and his wife paid an illegal guide, a coyotey to smuggle their 15-year-old son into the united states. >> we made a decision that two or three days of suffering is better than suffering every single day if something happens to him in honduras.

>> but after traveling days and nights from honduras, all the way to mexico, he was caught at the border in texas. he spent nine days in detention and there his father says, children were abused. he told me that if the immigration officers called him and the kids didn't come quickly enough, the immigration officers would come and kick them. i started crying. >> after nine days wearing the same clothes and sleeping under nothing but a plastic sheet, border patrol, as required by law, sent manuel junior to a mace for children. there he was given new clothes and english classes but he still wasn't free. >> these are lock down facilities. >> attorney lenny benson helps undocumented children get through the legal system. >> they don't get a free pass. they have to appear in court and if a young person doesn't appear in court, they will be given an order of deportation. the system is overwhelmed, there are 50,000 pending cases including 6,000 minors and only

28 judges. but for now manuel is happy, because just days after we left, this happened. immigration authorities put manuel junior on a plane to be reunited with his parents. manuel hopes his son is hope for good. with a chance to live the american dream legally. >> there was not a dry eye in the building. manuel said he hopes his story shows u.s. lawmakers that every immigrant is not bad and that specifically when it comes to kids, they aren't usually coming here to work but fleeing unthinkable violence in their home countries. >> we end this is a honduras

teenager, sitting on railroad tracks. they are making the dangerous trek to the u.s. border, many forced from their homes by poverty and gang violence. has tonight's exclusive report. >> stories that have impact... that make a difference... that open your world... >> this is what we do... >> america tonight next only on al jazeera america me.

>> talk to al jazeera

only on al jazeera america you might not know it or like it, but you are being watched almost all the time. >> they know more about you than you know about you. monitored. >> don't put personnel information out there. there's people that eat that up. >> this is an american tonight special investigation - your secret's out." >> i'm julie chen, it's no exaggeration it say we live in a state that is traceable.