key here, be a vig leapt parent. thanks to karen sprowal and all of our guests. until next time, we will see you online. ♪ welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we are following for you. president obama gets ready to meet with leaders of central america, trying to find a way to stem the tide of migrants coming to the us. ex renewed street battles in gaza, as secretary of state kerry rolls out another proposal for peace. and the wreckage from that algearian airliner is found in

mali. we want to begin with breaking news coming out of canada, two u.s. fighter jets escorting a plane back to the toronto airport because of alleged threats. video was taken on board the aircraft, the airline says the plane was over u.s. skies when a passenger allegedly made a threat. the plane was then escorted back to toronto, none of the people on board was hurt. now to the immigration crisis. for weeks the focus has been on the flood of undocumented children flooding the u.s. border. the president is set to meet with presidents of the central america countries to figure out how to stop it. mike what do we expect to come out of the meetings today? >> del, there is a lot of pressure on the president from all sides even as his

$3.7 billion proposal he sent to congress shows no signs of going anywhere. it was about an hour ago when the leaders in question, honduras, el salvador, and guatemala were here at this moment. they are having lunch with vice president biden. it was vice president biden who made the trip down to those countries at the outset of this crisis when it first became a federal focus here in washington, d.c. those leaders were on capitol hill yesterday, del. they are not only asking for more money to deal with this problem, they prointing the firng at the united states it's a. many of the drug cartels tributing to the violence in honduras in particular that are driving these young people towards the texas border, making that perilous journey, they say it is the demand for drugs in

the united states that is helping drive that. the president sending an assessment team down to the border from dod, and homeland security to try to determine whether he can deploy the national guard there, in addition to what texas governor rick perry has already done. so a lot of moving parts here in washington today, unclear, del, whether anything is going to get done. >> what is the status of the request for that $3.7 billion? >> it's completely on the rocks. house republicans and democrats can't agree. the president wants to expedite the pe -- deportation of those young people. that gives republicans the opportunity to say, if the president can't get his house in order, we're certainly not going to go along with the proposal, changing that law, allowing for

quicker deportations have to come first. there are deep divisions among the house republicans as well, del. the person they have put in charge, kay granger told reporters what republican's priorities were. >> when it came down to what we should do, which is sending those children back, securing our border, making some changes to the law to make sure they do not return again. >> send them back and deploy the national guard, that's what the republican position in the house boils down to at this point. congress leaves next week and won't return until mid-september. del? >> mike, thank you very much. all four leaders are talking about how to change the minds of those crossing the border, but the dangers of the journey itself has already made some hesitate. heidi zhou castro is joins us

from dallas. and you had the chance to talk to a young man who was contemplating crossing the border and day do so today. what did he say? >> this young boy, a 15 year old who i met at a shelter on the mexican side of the border, he tells me he is either at a stash house or could be crossing the rio grand into the united states today. these policies being discussed in washington, d.c., it's very difficult for them to have a direct impact on an individual's decision. it appears in this case nothing could change this child's mind. it calls to him, the united states. he steps away from reaching his goal so close, yet so far away. you are so close to your dream. and it makes him happy, he says,

but he is also sad, because there's no one in the united states to receive him. he is trying to decide whether to cross or return to his parents and seven siblings in honduras. he was 14 when he left his families house with the naive ambition of finding a job in the us. he struck out with nothing but two changes of clothes and $9.50 from selling a wild hair. since then he has had a birthday, one he had forgotten about until his mother called to remind him. he trudged through a tropical storm and witnessed the murder of a pregnant girl aboard what migrants call the death train. i jumped off just in time, he says. the girl wouldn't let the gangsteres take her, so they pushed her off, the train ran

her over. he cried and asked god for help, he says. he still sees it in his mind. now he wonders if it was all for nothing. he has heard u.s. border patrol is no longer, in his words, helping to take you north. and he is hesitant to venture out of the shelter's protective walls to find someone to help him cross. cartel violence in this mexican state killed 64 people in april. human smuggling is thriving operation here. as a foreign journalist we can only safely be here for a few minutes. but when brian is looking for his smuggler, he'll be coming here alone. our camera is still rolling when mexican soldiers tell us to leave. they don't want trouble from the

cartel they say. he is worried he will be kidnapped and trafficked. i tell him the bodies of two migrants were found in the river this week, and three more bodies were recovered in the desert. do you think it's worth risking your life for? >> si. >> reporter: he says yes, it's worth it. he says he is doing this to help his family, he says, and because he has already come this far. and i just want to emphasize that this child, brian, he just turned 15 years old. he has no family, no friends here in the united states, and he dropped out of school after grade three to help his family pick coffee. so del the odds are so stacked against this child, yet nothing could be said to deter him, the only thing we could do was teach him how to dial 911. >> heidi thank you very much.

coming up we're going to be following the flood of those children being sent back to guatemala after trying to make the dangerous journey to the u.s. >> john kerry and ban ki-moon trying to convince palestinian and israeli leaders to agree to temporary ceasefire. as those talks continue, so does the bloodshed. this is the final day of ramadan. in east jerusalem, palestinian protesters battled police and soldiers after prayers. five more deaths have been reported today. the knick of palestinians killed is now more than 800. one man was shot after a funeral. meanwhile the israeli military is being accused of attacking unconvention altar gets in gaza. reducing dozens of homes to rubble today. on the israeli side, 37 people have been killed.

nick schifrin is in gaza with more on the conflict. [ explosion ] [ gunfire ] >> reporter: just before midnight the west bank's main road to jerusalem became a battle ground. palestinians enraged by the fighting in gaza through rocks and molotov cocktails at police. at first the police fired back with tear gas and stun grenades. but then they used live ammunition. the scale indicates massive anger. 10 thousand palestinians filled these streets, and today the palestinian leadership called for even more protests. >> translator: today is the beginning of a [ inaudible ] further into occupied territories. >> reporter: that rage especially when gazans die in a place they are supposed to be safe. yesterday in north gaza, devastated families, a hospital filled with confusion and chaos.

a courtyard full of displaced people who fed israeli shelling was struck twice. 16 meme died in this school, including this boy's mother, stepmother, sister, and two brothers. >> translator: i don't understand how i survived or why i'm arrive. >> reporter: upstairs his brother is prepping for surgery. shrapnel cut through his leg. he is so nervous he can't really speak. his cousin already had four surgeries, one for each point in his body pierced. >> translator: foreign countries are betraying us. bombs are dropped on us, and we lose our women and children. >> reporter: just outside the hospital the area around the school is empty. it is eerie to be here, it is completely silent.

the streets are absolutely desolate. this area has been abandoned. and everywhere you look you see the scars of the fighting. >> reporter: this morning the israeli military is still warning residents to stay away. that's just one neighborhood that israel has targeted in the last 12 hours. and according to palestinian medical officials some 30 homes have been destroyed across the gaza strip and killed one of the senior leaders of the group of jihad. human remains continue to be found in ukraine. and the fight data recorders are being sent to the netherlands. david shater has more. >> reporter: the dutch government have confirmed that they are sending a task force to the ukraine. their so-called royal marshals.

these are special police force who are usually trained in heavy weapons. their job is of course to protect the royal family. but they will be leaving from the military base this evening, heading towards the ukraine. they are there in what is called chapter one of this operation. they are there to help the dutch-lead investigators to comb through a 13-square mile area where the wreckage and the bodies landed to find the dismembered remains of those passengers who are still missing. now the second phase, chapter two of this operation is what is being hotly debated behind me here in the hague, this is whether to send another group of 40 so-called royal marshals later on with heavy weapons. what kind of weapons? what kind of protection will they have? they are there to try to protect the investigation who will be

carrying out their forensic tasks in the middle of battle zone. this chapter two is not just to recover the bodies. this chapter two is to help the forensic investigation. to collect all of those fragments to try to find out what happened. to try to find out whether the missile parts fired at the plane are still in that huge area. that will end in the pointing of finger of blame and decide where the blame lies. it's the second team which will be the most vulnerable. what will the pro-russian rebels decide to do. if they attack the team, how big of force is needed to defend them. australian forces are also coming in on the side of the government here, they say they are ready to help out and protect the crash scene, but it's very debated at this point, and still hasn't been decided. french officials have

retrieved one of the to black boxes of the algeria plane crash. 160 people on board, many of whom were french nationals are now presumed dead. and there is an investigation into the crash of trans-asian plane. they are now reviewing a four-minute gap between the pilots request for a second approach, and the plane going down. coming up on al jazeera america, a closer look at the border crisis. we go to guatemala to see what the deportation process looks like there for those who try to make it to america. and we'll show you why some say the immigration crisis is decades in the making.

>> israel's invasion of gaza continues tonight. >> we have been hearing a lot of tank shelling coming from where we are, here. >> every single one of these buildings shook violently. >> for continuing coverage of the israeli / palestinian conflict, stay with al jazeera america, your global news leader. >> al jazeera america presents >> i want to prove them wrong. i want to make 'em regret rejecting me. >> 15 stories one incredible journey edge of eighteen coming september only on al jazeera america ♪ now for more on our top story, the immigration crisis,

the president is set to meet with leaders from central america. david mercer has our story from guatemala. >> reporter: it's the moment everyone here has been waiting for, more than 60 children file into a government shelter in guatemala. the first of three bus loads due to arrive this week. they were caught in mexico en route to the united states. their families are relieved to see them safe. >> translator: i feel good, because my son is back. i'm starting to feel relaxed again. >> reporter: the center opened last year in response to a surge of unaccompanied child migrants who flooded the u.s./mexico border. since then staff have reunited thousands of children with their families. children as young as 14 tell

social workers they were going to the u.s. to find jobs. few new about the dangers of crossing mexico before leaving, but for some that has changed. >> translator: a girl i was detained with told me that a friend of hers was thrown off of the top of a train and her body was cut in half. it's hard. i warn my friends how dangerous the journey can be. >> reporter: most parents don't know the risks or consequences of illegal migration. >> translator: parents need to understand the children won't be allowed to enter. this is what our stay here campaign is all about. stay home. there might not be a lot of food, but you have your family, and that's what is most important. >> reporter: but the record number of young deportees shows how much work is yet to be done. it's the end of the day and yet, still there are dozens of parents, grandparents, aunts and

uncles who are waiting for their children to be released. scenes like this one are becoming more and more common. but far worse than waiting is not knowing. this woman thought her 16-year-old would be getting off of the buses, but he didn't. >> translator: i pray that he is safe. i never thought this would happen. i hoped he would make it without any problems. >> reporter: these young migrants may be back home, but for thousands of other children driven by hopes for a better life, the journey north is just beginning. david mercer, al jazeera, guatemala. and then there is this, the routes of today's immigration debate may lie in decisions the u.s. made decades ago. rob reynolds has that story. >> reporter: in the 1980s civil wars raged across central

americ america. >> we gave them money and military support. we gave them a lot of different things, and that included turning our -- our head the other way when they went about doing their death squads and killing innocent people. >> reporter: tens of thousands of suspected leftists and their sympathizers, mostly civilians were killed by soldiers. many central america families sought refuge in the u.s. >> we drove hundreds of thousands of people out of their countries during that time. >> reporter: their prime destination, los angeles. >> los angeles is the modern ellis island for central americians. >> reporter: they encountered

and formed gangs of their own. they include ms13, and the 18th street gang, identified by their tattoos. in the 1990s, thousands of central americian convicted criminals were deported by authorities. >> they exported american urban gang culture. >> reporter: gangs born in los angeles flourished in el salvador, guatemala, and honduras. today largely to escape the pervasive violence, tense of thousands of central american children are leafing their homelands and coming to the u.s., citing fear of the gangs as the reason. >> the anti-communist mentality we had came back to haunt us.

you do some negative things -- destructive things, you think in the short run it is going to help. >> reporter: poisoning the lives of children born decades later. coming up on al jazeera america . . . >> nuclear power, you can't hear it, see it, or smell it. >> it is a clean source of energy, but is it safe? we'll take you inside the first new nuclear power plant to be built in the u.s. in years.

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are your headlines at this hour. updating our breaking news story, u.s. fighter jets escorting a plane back to toronto. this video taken on board the plane. the plane was headed to panama city panama, an agitated passenger on board used the word bomb. no one was hurt.

the president is scheduled to meet with the presidents of guatemala, honduras and el salvador to try to figure out what to do with all of the kids crossing the u.s./mexican border. a new nuclear plant is getting to go online in tennessee. robert ray was given unpresented access to the plant that is still being built. >> reporter: this leads to the reactor to core. >> yeah, right in here. >> reporter: you may not have heard of this power plant -- >> this is any side that makes electricity. >> reporter: but this 1700-acre site in tennessee is now 90% complete. >> you can't hear it, see it, or smell it. >> reporter: yet it's the power that creates heat at electricity for nearly 20% of the population in the us.

watts bar is scheduled to go online in december of next year. after about a year of delays for safety changes. >> reporter: the cooling tower has been completely renovated. >> reporter: and it had to be after the nuclear disaster in japan brought the nuclear industry to its knees. a lot of the safety procedures you had to put in place cost you millions. >> yes, sir. >> reporter: were they all necessary? >> they were based on probabilities of occurrence of events similar to that in fukushima, and in a case where we are, our job is to implement the actions or orders that the regulatory commission issues. >> reporter: they are now required to install representing systems in case of a disaster. our cameras were allowed in before the nuclear fuel was

loaded. most people never get to see the inside of a reactor head at its final stages before it goes live. it is nearly 100 degrees in this giant room right now in the final stages before the plant goes active next year, the reactor head goes on top, and the entire plant will create energy for over 1 million people. but as the plant gears up, others across the country are shutting down. the costs to comply with the new standards are too much for some companies. and they still have to deal with radioactive waist and the major price tag of managing it and securing it. >> we can put it in a canister that is designed to withstand, floods, earthquakes, seismic events. >> reporter: they will be put underground at an on -- annual

cost of some $10 million. but they are still trying to figure out who picks up the tab in the future. ♪ i'm meteorologist dave warren, it's the hot and sunny weather that will lead to these heat advisories. but also an air quality alert around dallas-fort worth. this is created, not emitted, it is created on these hot and sunny days. and if you have lung ailments you want to limit your activity outdoors. this is a tracked by the national weather service. right now we're tracking the temperature, climbing to near 100 degrees in oklahoma and dallas. let's watch that air quality

today. >> dave warren thank you very much. and thank you for watching al jazeera america. i'm del walters in new york. "techknow" is next, and you can always check us out 24 hours a day by going to our website. aljazeera.com. phil torres >> this is "techknow," a show of invo vasions that can save lives, we'll explore the intersection of hart ware and huge -- hardware and humanity. let's check out the team. marita davison is specialising in ecology. tonight, what are the scientists at monsanta up to. we go into their lab. are they moving away from