♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, kids at the border. left in limbo. abc's cecilia vega on the ground with children making the risky journey to america on their own. inside the long trek north to overcrowded processing centers reser. and accused of not having a plan in place. how the president's responding to pressure and growing desperation. spotlighting black comedy. >> three words. bad you love. >> from "in living color" and dave chappelle laying the groundwork to picking up the mantle. >> oh, hell no! >> proving laughter may help in the fight against injustice. >> thank you all for coming.

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♪ good evening. thank you for joining us. tonight, the children arriving at the u.s./mexico border.

tired, hungry, stepping into a strange new land, packed into processing centers. this as president biden faces major pushback, promising to carry out a humane immigration policy that is tested to its limits. here's abc's cecilia vega. >> reporter: in the pitch dark on this dusty road along the u.s./mexico border, it is another busy night. authorities overwhelmed. they say they've never seen anything like it. families and children. many traveling all alone. they're in search of one thing, asylum. like 15-year-old geoffrey. we met him just moments after he crossed the rio grande. it's taken him more than two months to get here from honduras. as for what happens next, he tells me, only god knows. nearby, an entire family. they tell me they had to leave honduras in order to stay alive,

pointing to the country's increasing gang violence and the recent hurricane that left many without a home. >> there's nothing there, no work. >> reporter: minutes later, up the road, another group. this one even bigger. >> they're hungry and very tired, they say. they're traveling by themselves. >> reporter: we met 9-year-old justin and 10-year-old joseph, little boys who traveled all the way from honduras. they have no family with them. the group they're with, strangers, took them in along the way. they show me their lifeline, phone numbers of family members here in the u.s., relatives they hope to call and be reunited with soon. >> he's going to show me a phone number.

>> reporter: the numbers on that hat, still there. this is his grandfather's number. but joseph's phone number, written in marker inside his pant pocket, already starting to fade. his aunt's phone number, his mom's phone number. next to them, two brothers, 20 and 13. i ask why they've decided to come now, and their answer strikes at the very heart of this disaster threatening to derail president biden's young and carefully planned agenda.

>> reporter: last month, more than 100,000 migrants were stopped along the southwest border. right now there are more than 16,000 unaccompanied minors in federal custody. today the administration did allow one camera inside this facility in cariso springs, texas. the journalist was told not to speak with any of the 766 teenaged boys. they're playing soccer. there's a classroom. the sleeping quarters, four to a room. but this facility has never reached its 952-person capacity. what the world saw today is a stark contrast to the overcrowded tent-like facilities like this in donna, texas. customs and border protection releasing this video showing children packed into pods. one housing more than 400 boys. there are only supposed to be

250 people inside this entire facility. the white house says they're working as quickly as possible to move these kids into shelters and homes. but critics say they move so quickly to overturn former president trump's hardline immigration policies that they did not have a plan in place on the ground to handle the surge that followed. criticism growing louder by the day. >> it is a crisis. it is a crisis that was created by the biden administration, by their own policies. >> reporter: not just from republicans, but also from democrats. >> we're having a humanitarian crisis. the administration has all the good intentions. they want to treat the kids in a humane way. but in trying to do this, their good intentions are being overwhelmed by numbers. >> reporter: the white house has called in fema. they're building new facilities. the pentagon looking into the possibility of housing kids on military bases in texas. yet the families and children just keep coming across the border. the migrants that make it across

the river often end up in a place like this. they're confused, sometimes they don't know if they're on the u.s. side of the border or mexico. if they're lucky they find a sign. this was left by border patrol. this is directing them to asylum, telling them where to get to safety. deputies joran moreno and arlen salazar patrol this stretch of the border. border patrol inundated, local authorities now helping. the deputies bring me to an area called elrincon, the corner, a popular landing spot along the rio grande. so they've come out of the river here? >> uh-huh. >> have you ever seen as many people as you're seeing now? >> no. no. >> and you've done this how many years now? >> 17 years. >> the most people you've ever seen? >> yes. >> the most children, most families? >> yes. >> is there anything that's going to stop this? >> i hope there is. i don't know what it is. i don't know what they have to do. but it needs to stop.

there's got to be a better way, a better process. but this is not it. >> reporter: all over these paths, pieces of their stories. >> it's a baby carrier. >> we've seen mothers carrying their kids. sometimes they're very dirty. we provide water, wipes, whatever they need. stuff i have at home, i bring it with me. >> you bring that stuff on the job with you? >> yeah, we have to. >> do they think it's easier to cross with a new president? >> uh-huh. >> are you hearing that? >> no, what i hear is they're saying that they thought it was going to be easier, but it's all the same thing. it's the same thing. >> the reasons that people choose to leave their home country really have nothing to do with what our policies are in the united states. >> reporter: teresa cardinal brown of the bipartisan policy center says that while there are limits to how rhetoric affects

migration, the biden administration's overall tone is providing encouragement to many immigrants hoping to make their way to the united states. >> president trump spoke about immigration at the border as a threat, of migrants as an invasion. >> can you imagine those caravans without having the barriers and walls that we've already put up? >> and focused his policy almost exclusively on how to deter migrants from coming at all. the biden administration, and this goes back to joe biden during the campaign, essentially ran on being the antithesis of that. >> we're going to immediately end trump's assault on the indignity of immigrant communities, restore our moral standing in the world, our historic role as a safe haven for refugees and asylum seekers. >> reporter: facing growing pressure, president biden said vice president kamala harris will be in charge of stemming the flow of migration from central america, hoping to send a message that he's trying to address the root causes of why

people are leaving their homes in the first place. but so many, like 32-year-old luis panera, are still coming. they say they have no choice. the single father 12 days into his journey from hon dura, his 3-year-old son marlen with him. they met high colleague, marcus moore, in southern mexico, while walking on the shoulder of a narrow two-lane highway. this father's wish for his son? what every parent wants.

as for those who already made it across the border, like justin and joseph? i ask, are you scared? yes, they tell me, they are scared. tonight they are in border patrol custody. we call justin's grandfather, whose phone number was on that pink hat. he says he's waiting to hear from authorities on justin's status. >> our thanks to cecilia and the team. up next, finding humor in >man: "fender bender," take 1. hard times. tonight's matchup: me versus an ugly fender bender. if i can eke out a win, it's going to be a miracle, baby! uh, mr. vitale? it wouldn't be a miracle because geico gives you a team of experts to help manage your claim. it's going to be a nail-biter. no, the geico team is there for you 24/7. geico is awesome, baby! (shouting) too much? i think we got it. yeah. thanks. thank you. geico. great service without all the drama.

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standing up against hate. a long line of barrier-breaking black comedians finding lighthearted humor from dark chapters of american history and clearing the stage for the next generation of laughs. here's the latest story in the abc news series "soul of a nation." >> i think the top african-american sketch artists, rich pryor, chris rock, eddie murphy. >> debri wilson. >> all the wayans, all of them. >> all the kenans. >> leslie, garrett morris, jamie foxx. >> flip wilson. >> are you ready for a good time? ♪ ♪ >> the "flip wilson show"! >> a lot of people don't give

credit to flip wilson. here was this brother running the show. >> just to see a black man on tv with his own show, number one, is crazy. >> geraldine, who came before big mama's house and tyler perry's church lady. >> you better watch your mouth. >> love geraldine. >> the family made a lovely donation to the church, they donated her. >> "richard pryor show" was brilliant and ahead of his time, so risque. i think he came out naked in one episode. >> people think, how can you have a show? you've got to compromise, you've got to give up everything. i've given up absolutely nothing. >> the last thing you can do is tell richard pryor to calm his act down. >> well, good night, see you next week. >> the show only lasted four episodes but that helped spur so many shows. >> one, two, three, four!

>> "saturday night live" was unbelievably funny but majority white. >> then when eddie murphy came on, it was over. i felt like eddie murphy belonged to me. >> i am gumby, dammit! >> gumby, buckwheat. >> buckwheat, otay! >> inspired all of us younger comics. >> stop before y'all make me smile! >> when eddie left "snl," black people left "snl." >> hated it! >> everybody talked about, what if we had an all-black "snl"? what would that be like? ♪ be what you want to be in living color ♪ >> "in living color" was a cultural explosion. >> "in living color" caused controversy and conversation, which is perfect for comedy. >> homie don't play that. >> dressed up like homie the clown for halloween, put a sock inside another sock and hit all

my friends. >> then the mental film reviews. >> ole! >> they're snapping at paramount. they're snapping at universal. they're snapping all over l.a., everybody's snapping! >> it just made tv more reflective of what our country really looks like. >> it was so good. something had to come next. >> wow, that's the first lottery a black person's won in a long time. >> chappelle was unfiltered, in your face, raw, edgy. >> i'm rick james, bitch. >> enjoy yourself! >> i mean, all of it. >> what does he say? what did the five fingers say to the face, or something? slapped the [ bleep ] out of him? >> what exactly is your problem? >> how much time you got, buddy? >> clayton big, the blind black white supremacist, that was the first episode. >> black power! >> he set a tone off the bat. >> that's a wrap! >> the jokes that he's telling,

they sort of get to the heart, you know, the many ironies about american racism and kind of the ridiculousness of it. >> no, no, no, uh-uh, no. no, this is for the white audience to learn. this is the template for the white audience to learn from. that's what it is. >> been discriminated against, had death threats, and he dated a white woman. sounds like a black guy to me. >> you see chappelle, toward the end of "the chappelle show" that a lot of black comedians face with their shows. >> that shore taste good! >> am i leaning too far into stereotypes? are the white people laughing with me or at me? >> he left it all. and it was admirable. it was crazy. it was wonderful. >> we gotta say something. >> it could have been the end of his career. he's way too talented for that to happen. >> oh, bring it in, bring it in! >> he entailed the next move at

the time. >> from the bottom, now we're here! >> mixy, biracially, beigy, black-ish comics. >> jordan peele in particular, he's kind of able to nail a certain kind of zap-it, white girl ridiculousness. >> they had a ton of really funny skits. >> oh, i been waiting for this. >> this black inner voice which all people of color have. >> keep messing around, see what happens. >> the funniest thing i ever saw, the racist zombie. >> ain't that some [ bleep ]. >> these are racist mother [ bleep ] zombies. >> why would you even lock the door? the window's broken. >> oh, hell no. >> and now we have the evolution and the revolution of the sketch comedy show, and it's called femininity, it's called womanhood. >> sometimes i wish i was not a bad bitch all the time. like sometimes i wish i was

just -- okay, vee. >> whoo! >> laughing at ourselves in such a way that's so powerful. >> sometimes i just want to sit down for five minutes without wearing a wig trainer. >> try to take a big breath. >> i just wanted to be a part of it. they put me on. >> i rebuke your standup comedy! >> these women are playing men. these women are playing women that you've never seen before. >> no doubt. >> these women are playing women that you have seen before. >> okay, well, you don't have to sit here. >> rude! >> wow, the rude jumped out of you, didn't it? >> when these shows have had sketches that look like us, now we feel seen, now we feel heard. >> wait a minute! >> black sketch shows are evolving. because everybody's got stories. >> hopefully we get more. >> i'm ready for you. >> no, i'm winning this [ bleep ]! next, a touch of royalty in

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from the palace to silicon valley, prince harry taking up a new title as the tech executive at better up, a startup provides mental health services. the duke of sussex oftentimes speaking about his own personal struggles and seeking therapy to fight depression after the death of his mother, princess diana. >> at 12, emotions came on me very early. >> prince harry on a road to lift others. cheers to new beginnings. that's "nightline" for this evening. catch our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you back here, same time tomorrow. thanks for the company, america.