04/01/19 04/01/19 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york this is , democracy now! >> united kingdom is due to leave the european union on thee 12th of april, in just 14 days time, but that is not enough time to agree, legislate, and ratify a deal and yet the house has been clear it will not permit leaving without the deal. so we will have to agree on an alternative way forward. amy: with a deadline for the u.k. to leave the european union fast approaching, today y the british parliament will vote on

a series of options for a brexit plan after rejecting a plan for the third time on friday. then president trump says the united states will cut funding to the so-called northern triangle countries of guatemala, honduras, and el salvador that are the primary source of a wave of migrants seeking asylum at the u.s.-mexico border, including caravans of families with children. pres. trump: i have ended payments to guatemala, honduras, and el salvador. know many goes there anymore. we were paying them tremendous amounts of money, and we are not paying them anymore because they have not done a thing for us. amy: trump also threatened to the borderorder -- with u.s. border with mexico. we'll look at the consequences of trump's policies with reporter john rlos frey, who traveleled with the first t migt caravan from central america to the u.s.-mexico border. then israeli forces kill four people, including three

teenagers during a mass , demonstration saturday marking the first anniversary of the great march of return, when tens of thousands of palestinians demanded an end to the ongoing siege ofof gaza and the right to return. wewe'll speak with ahmemed abu artema, the palestinian poet, journalist, and peace activist who inspired the march. continuing their protesting because this is their only choice. when the people shared in the march of return in this process, they came near the fence that separated them from their villages and cities. and the people could live peacefully. amy: all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. the trump administration announced itit is cutting ofoffd

to el salvador, guatemala and honduras in what he says is a bid to stem migration into the united states. the move would cut over $500 million in funding from programs designed to curb immigration, such as those addressing education, employment, and violence. democratic lawmakers condemned trump's move, calling it counter-productive and warning it would exacerbate the humanitarian crisis at the border. it's unclear whether trump and the state department can unilaterally redirect the funds designated for the central american countries without congressional approval. trump also threatened to close the u.s.-mexico border. he spoke to reporters friday. pres. trump: we have right now two big caravans comingng from guatemala. massive caravans, walking right through mexico. so mexico is tough. they can stop them, but they chose not to. if they do not stop them, we are closing the border. amy: mexico's foreign secretary

marcelo ebrard responded to the news by tweeting, "mexico doesn't act based on threats." residents and workers on both sides of the u.s.-mexico border have blasted trump's announcement, warning it would cause massive disruptions to trade and daily life. meanwhile, in elel paso, borderr patrol officialsls said they wee overwhelmemed by the number ofof families crossing to seek asylum. video footage showed hundreds of migrants being held under a bridge, surrounded by chain-link fences at temperatures dipped into the 40's. over the weekend, officials said they removed the f families but critics s say they just recacatd them to another side the bridge tt is harr r to s. otrs c cald the e ages part of a umump adniststraon stutu to susuort t thargugumenthat the uned states is over capapaci atmmmmigrati detetention centets and unable to hold new a arriva. autopsy results for jakelin caal maquin, the seven-year-old

guatemalan girl who died while in u.s. custody in new mexico, confirm she died of sepsis, a bacterial infection. maquin, who entered the u.s. with her father in december, died just two days after she was detained by customs and border protection in new mexico. the medical examiner's report shows the infection led to the failure of multiple vital organs. doctors say maquin would have been visibly unwell for hours before she received medical care and was eventually taken to an el paso hospital. in other immigrationon news, president trump extended deferred enforced departure status, or ded, for some 4000 liberians living in the u.s. the extension, announced thursday just days before e it s set to expxpire, willastst for e year and reverses previous statements by trump. earlier this month, lawyers represenenting ded holders filea lawsuit to block the program's termination, alleging racial discrimination motivated trump's decision.

last year, trump reportedly told lawmakers that haiti, el salvador and unspecified african nations were "s--hole countries." lalast month temporary protected , status for nationals of sudan, nicaragua, haiti and el salvador was extended through early january 2020. in environmental news, a federal judge in alaska has restored a ban on offshore drilling across large parts of the arctic ocean, blocking a 2017 executive order by president trump that opened up tens of millions of acres for oil leasing. trump's order sought to reverse several obama-era measures but judge sharon gleason ruled that itit exceeded the president's authority and only congress has the power to revoke the prior withdrawal of lands for oil leasing. the league of conservation voters, one of the groups who sued to block the executive order, celebrated the victory, saying -- "offshore drilling and the associated threat of devastating

oil spills puts coastal economies and ways of life at risk while worsening the consequences of climate change. president trump wanted to erase all the environmental progress we've made, but we fought back and we won." the trump administration is expectcted to appealal the deci. the political crisis in britain is mounting after lawmakers rejected prime minister theresa mam's brexexit plan for ththe td time friday. this is may speaking friday after her deal's defeat. >> the united kingdom is due to leave the european union on the 12th of april. that is not enough time to agree, legislate for, and ratify a deal get the house has been clear it will not permit leaving without the deal. i feel we are reaching the limits. amy: with the new deadline less than two weeks away, parliament is scrambling to come up with a deal backed by a majority. lawmakers are scheduled to hold votes on a number of other scenarios. among the options on the table

are remaining in the eu customs union, a soft brexit and a second referendum -- all ideas theresa may has rejected in the past. in gaza,a, israeli forces s kil4 people, including three teenagers, at a mass demonstration saturday marking the first anniversary of the great march of return. the teenage boys were identified as tamer abu el-khair, adham amara, and belal al-najjar -- all 17 years old. 20 year-old mohamed jihad saad was also killed by israeli forces in a smaller protest earlier on saturday. israeli soldiers used live ammunition, tear gas, and rubber bullets on the protesters. tens of thousands of palestinians came out to demand an end to the ongoing siege of gaza and the right to return to . this is a protester speaking saturday. >> what i want to stress is any attempt to obscure the

consciousness and rights of palestinians is bound to fail as generation after generation of our people would recall our homeland. that is why we have come to participate in the demonstration. although palestine is in a difficult flight, we want to say any plot against palestine is doomed to failure. amy: we'll have more on n the ga protests with ahmed abu artema, palestinian poet, journalist, and peace activist who inspired the great march of return, later in the broadcast. in ukraine, comedian volodymyr zelenskiy has received the most votes in the first round of a presidential election, garnering more support than incumbent petro poroshenko and former prime minister yulia tymoshenko. on his television show, the comedic actor plays an ordinary citizen who becomes president by chance and fights against corruption. he has no prior political experience, but has expressed pro-eu views. zelenskiy will face the second vote-getter, currently believed to be poroshenko according to

exit polls. meanwhile, voters in slovakia elected their first woman president. anti-corruption candidate and environmentalist zuzana caputova vowed to counter nationalist rhetoric. in 201016, she won the prestigis goldman environmental prize for her fight to shut down a toxic waste dump in her hometown, earning her the nickname "erin brockovich of slovakia." the president holds a primarily ceremonial role in slovakia but is charged with appointing the prime minister, among other duties. in turkey, president recep tayyip erdogan was dealt a major blow in this weekend's local elections as his akp party lost control over the capital ankara for the first time in 25 years. the opposition people's republican party, or chp, also appears to be narrowly ahead in istanbulul. leaders from both parties claimed early victories but official results have not yet been announced.

at least four people were killed and dozens injured across the cocountry in election-day violence. in mozambique, authorities in the flood-ravaged city of beira have confirmed 271 cases of cholera after cyclone idai left hundreds of thousands of people homeless and living in unsanitary conditions. cholera can spread rapidly if left untreated and in the worst cases can result in death. the world health organization says 900,000 doses of cholera vaccine are arriving in the region today. the death toll from the cyclone has surpassed 500 people in mozambique, as well as at least 250 people in zimbabwe and over 50 in malawi. back in the u.s., former vice president and potential 2020 hopeful joe biden has come under renewed scrutiny for his inappropriate touching of women and girls after lucycy flores, a former nevada ststate assembly memember, penned a piee

publblished friday, detailing hr encounter with biden when she was running for lieutenant governor in nevada in 2014. flores says biden came up behind her as she was preparing to give a campaign speech on stage, held her shoulders, s slled her h har and kissed her slowly on the back of the head. biden issued a statement saying that he expressed affection many timemes in his political life et that "not once -- never -- did i believe i acted inappropriately." floreses addressed b biden'ss respononse in an intnterview onn on sunday. my point was never about his intentions and they should not be about his intentions, it should be about the women on n e reiving end d of that behavior. and this isn't the first time and it wasn't the only incident wherere he was acting inappropriately with women. amy: that was lucy flores speaking to cnn's jake tapper. biden has been rumored to

announce his bid for the 2020 election sometime at the end of the month. lawmakers in georgia's house of representatives approved passage of the so-called fetal heartbeat law, which bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected -- something that typically happens just six weeks into a pregnancy and before many women realize they'rere pregnant. the bill, which was alreready approved by georgia's senate, now heads to governor briann kemp's desk, who has expressed support for the measure. the aclu of georgia said they will take the case to court if governor kemp signs the bill. reproductive rights groups are challenging fetal heartbeat bills s that were rececently pad in mississippi and kentucky. a judge temporarily halted the kentucky law from going into effect. similar laws are being pushed by republican lawmakers in florida, missouri, ohio, tennessee and texas. police in vallejo, california, have released body-cam footage of the fatalal february y shootg of african-american rapper willllie mccoy w while he wawas

sleeping in his car outside a taco bell. police said at the time mccoy made a sudden move but the footage shows he simply moved his hand to scratch his shoulder and clearly posed no threat, yet all six officers present opened fire on him. mccoy's family lawyer said he will f file a lawsuit a againste local l police andnd the officis reresponsible e for his killing. in new york, attorney general letitia james says she will not seek criminal charges against the police officers who shot and killed saheed vassell in crown heights, brooklyn last year. police officers opened fire on vassell, a 34-year-old african-american man who had bipolar disorder, after they allegedly mistook a welding torch he was holding for a gun. eric vassell, saheed's father, said of the decision -- "it is heartbreaking that once again, the criminal justice system is treating police as if they are above the law, and

failing to hold them accountable for killing an unarmed black man." to see our interview with saheed vassell's parents, go to democracynow.org. lawmakers in new york have agreed to implement a ban on single use plastic bags. the ban, which appears in the recently revealed state budget, makes new york the second state after california to adopt such a measure. the ban would exclude restaurant takeout bags and plastic garbage bags. the pop star nipsey hussle was shot and killed sunday outside the marathon clothing company store he founded in los angeles hyde park neighborhood. he was just 33 years old. his death rocked the music industry under shock from some of the biggest names in hip-hop. he grew up in south los angeles and in his youth was part of the crips gang.

he went on to organinize againit gangs, telliling stories about rising above streeeet violence n his songs. his 2018 obama "victory lap" was atinated for best rap album the grammys. in 2016, he released one of his most famous songs "f donaldtrump." his killer remains at large. and former newark mayor kenneth gibson who in 1970 the game the first lack mayor of a major northeastern city died friday in west orange at the age of 86. he served four terms in office. mayor gibson was elected amidst heightened racial tensions in newark and three years after rights known as a long hot summer of 1967, claimed 26 lives. if some focus on housing and public health turn this tenure but was also criticized for failing to bring stable jobs to the local economy. andas tried on bribery fraud charges in 2001 and pled guilty eventually to tax evasion.

the new york mayor wrote in a facebook message -- and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we begin today's show with the ongoing political chaos in the united kingdom, where parliament is preparing to vote today on a series of options for exiting the european union after rejecting prime minister theresa may's brexit plan for the third time friday. friday was supposed to be the day the u.k. left the european union. now the exit date is set for april 12. with the deadline fast approaching and still no deal, parliament is scrambling to come up with a deal backed by a majority. among the options on the table are remaining in the eu customs union, a soft brexit and a second referendum -- all ideas thereresa may has rejecteded ine past.

thisis is may speaking friday after her r deal's defeat. >> the implications of the houses decision are great. the legal default is the united kingdom is due to leave on april 12. that is not enough time to agree, legislate for, and ratify a deal and yet the house has been clear it will not permit leaving without a deal. so we will have to agree an alternative way forward. european union has been clear that any further extension will need to have a clear purpose and need to be agreed unanimously by the heads of the other 27 member states, the head of the 12 the -- ahead of the talk of april. it is some a certain to involve the united kingdom being required to hold european parliamentary elections. , this house will continue the process to see if there's a stable majority for a particular alternative version of our f future relationship wih the eu.

of course all of the options will require the withdrawal agreement. mr. speaker, i fear we are reaching the limits of the process in this house. deal.ouse has rejected no it has rejecteted no brexit. all ofesday, a rejected the variations of the deal on the table. and today it has rejected approvoving the withdrawal agreement alone and considering a process on the future. this government will continue to press the case for the orderly brexit that the result of the referendum demands. amy: of the british parliament fails to agree to a brexit deal by april 12, thehe.k. will c crh out of the european union with no deal -- a scenario that would have severe economic and political repercussions. over the weekend, a petition asking the british government to revoke article 50 and remain inn the eu reached 6 million signatures. the european parliament's brexit coordinator guy verhofstadt tweeted --

"#brexit is not a bad april fool's joke, but a tragic reality for all our citizens and business. it is now five to midnight. today mp's must find a compromise & stop this chaos. this evening, for once voting 'yes,' instead of every time voting 'no'." well, for more, we go to cambridge, england, where we're joined by professor priya gopal. professor gopal is a university lecturer in the faculty of english at the university of cambridge. welcome back to democracy now! it is great to have you with us, professor. first, for people outside of britain, explain what was voted down on friday and then talk about what is happening today. muchok, so on friday, pretty all of the options on the table -- i think there were eight options -- were voted down. so revoking article 50 and not leaving the european union was voted down. crashing out of the european union was also voted down.

theresa may's deal, which she brought back from brussels, was voted down for the third time. it is coming back for a fourth time this evening. thatetty much anything gives any sort of clarity as to what britain's future relationship with the eu might be has been voted down. we are having another vote this evening. i think there are nine options on the table this time. again, there is no clarity as to which option will win out. theresa may will try again to get her deal through, that it seems very unlikely that she will get the 30 odd votes she needs to make that happen. amy:: let''s go to opopposititin labour party leader jeremy corbyn speaking saturday about prime ministster theresa may'ss handling of f brexit. >> she was supposed to have brought the vote in december. ththey pulled it and put at the endd o of january.

was the largest defeatat and parliamentary history. to trytly, they're going again. this is beyond ridiculous. there is a clear proposal there that we negotiate a customs union with europe, which will then protect the borordering northern ireland, thatat we negotiate trade access, and above all, dynamic production of rights so we don't fall below europe. i suspect there's a whole agenda there in the tory party which would want to see woworkers rigs and consumumer r rights and envivironmental protections diminish. we will put a proposals again to parliament next week. amy: can you talk about jeremy corbyn and the labour party's position on this, professor? party has six tests which it has put in place the eu andl that britain will have come and the most important aspect of the six test our the customs union, which jeremy corbyn spoke about

in the clip you just aired, and the other is what they call close relationship to the single market. essentially, they want to keep all of the benefits of being in a customs union and in a single market without necessarily being formally in a single market. the labour party position is one that essentially wants to keep several of the advantages of being in the european union, but ending, i thihink, because britn won't be in a single market, ending freedom of movement as it currently stands. we do know that the labour party noference has agreed that if version of brexit passes, then there will be -- there is a commitment to a second referendum. but i think currently, jeremy corbyn is preparing for a general election and his focus

is on getting his version of a brexit deal -- one he believes will command agreement within the eu. amy: grace blakeley is the economics commentator at the new statesman. her recent column is titled "the european project has far bigger problems than brexit," and she writes -- "for every step forward european leaders have taken since the financial crisis, they have taken two steps back. while many worry about china, slowing global growth, and a no-deal brexit, the truly existential questions the eu faces are internal. and they are all about power. who will pick up the tab for economic stimulus, financial stability and industrial strategy -- northern european states, big business, or southern europe's impoverished citizens? who makes policy -- unelected bureaucrats, the european parliament, or member states? and who will determine the future of the bloc should the uk leave -- germany, france, or brussels?"

can you comment on h her commen? >> i think it is important to remember that there is a european parliament and there of thected members european parliament. so i think it is quite possible to overstate the extent to which there is no contribution to decisions made by the eu. what we know is that the eu's worst policies, it is moree neoliberal policies, are in fact being contribute it to buy britain. -- contributed to buy britain. it seems clear that eu is a neoliberal -- itit is a capitalt institution. it comes with many of the problems of contemporary and its institutions. at the question on the table i think is what are the options? if you want to leave the eu, which is the e so-called lexit r left brexit position, then one

would do so for something that is not neoliberal and that is not capitalist and does allow for democratic say. but the optionsns that brexit hs put forward are, i am afraid, not that. ofis a question i think staying within the eu and actually being able to reform it from within or returning to britain where brexit is an extremely ideologically driven, deeply neoliberal in some ways, free market disaster capitalist project. so it seems to me there are many problems with the eu, and nobody who is progressive can deny there are problems but the question is, what is the alternative? eu, you'releave the not actually doing that for greater democracy or for greater social justice, you're actually capitulating to what is - -- wht

i i would definitely described s a far right project, both economically and socially. amy: where does ireland fit into this picture, professor gopal? >> that is a key question. the irish border, the soft border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland, was a hard one victory for the peace process. to in fact return to a hard border from certain sections of the b brexiteering ideologues is extremely dangerous. and there are people who have pointed out, people in the republic of ireland who have pointed out that in a return to a hard border in that region might well presage a return to something like the troubles of 30 years ago. it seems to me there is a real

lightness with which that border that -- ireated and guess the maneuverings around the backstop and the rejection of the backstop and the whole question of removing the soft border i think does a real dereliction of historical understanding about how that border came into place and what has actually resulted in a successful peace process.. undermining the good friday agreement is, i think, one of the more deleterious effects of a herd brexit. that is something we should all be worrying about. amy: are you calling for a second referendum? let me phrarase this carefully. i think that a any deal that parliament comes up with today, whether that is a soft brexit, whether that is no brexit, whether that is a hard brexit, or whether in fact it is no

deal, i thinink the decision should be returned to the british people. and i say this for two reasons. i think that any deal l that susubstantially changes britai's relationship with the eu should in an exercise of democratic rights be returned to the people for a vote. i also say it because i think there are very serious questions about the campaign's role in n e first referendum, and there are questions about the extent of disinformation and and extent of know, to problems, you put it very mildly, electoral breaking of electoral regulations by the league campaign in the lead up to the 2016 referendum. so it seems to me quite important to take these essentially life altering decisions back to the british

people. amy: there were hundreds of thousands, perhaps one million people on saturday in london pushing for a second referendum. went out into the streets, one of the largest mass demonstrations ever held there. meanexactly now would it if there was a second referendum? how would it go forward? questionare obviously marks about that and it is not very clear exactly what the questions would be and whether the questions would be simply asking for an opinion on any deal that was proposed or whether he would also include the position of remaining, of unionuing in the european by revoking article 50. it seems to me any referendum now should lay out a range of options. voting on a deal and also giving

people the option of remaining in the european union. 6 million people have signed a record-breaking petition asking for article 50 to be revoked. obviously, that cannot be done on the basis of a petition, but it suggestss there is a strong and a feeling in this country that the decision of 2016 needs to be rethought in the light of new information and in the light of what is essentially a failed negotiation process by theresa may's government. so given there is a move towards outcome the referendum of last time, i think it is something g that must be put bak to the people. amy: what do think the media should be asking right now? >> i think the media needs to ask two things. i think it needs to ask tougher quesestions about how the referendum of 2016 was

conducted. it needs -- it should have, by probinged more questions about the kinds of misinfnformation that was circulating by the leaf campaign in the lead up to that referendum. it should also be asking questions -- and i am very surprised this was not being done -- we know the electoral d thession has fine campaign for violations of electoral law and the leaf campaign has essentially accepteded that fine and is goig to pay it. now, this is quite serious. we now havave electoral commissions judgments that there were electoral process violations by the leaf campaign. we also know that some of the key funders of the campaign are under investigation by the police and by the national crime agency. again, as in the u.s. situation,

there are questions about where the money came from, who use the money, whether there has been interference from outside, and does and potential criminal violations. it seems to me the media really ought to be pursuing these questions with much greater vigor than they have been so far. , thank you forl being with us university , lecturer in the faculty of english at the university of cambridge. we will continue to follow what happens with brexit with a vote later today. when we come back, what is happening at the border and president trump's threats to close the border and cut off funding to the northern triangle countries. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. president trump says the united states will cut funding to the so-called northern triangle countries of guatemala, honduras, and el salvador that are the primary source of a wave of migrants seeking asylum at the u.s.-mexico border,

including caravans of families with children. trump spoke friday to reporters. pres. trump: i have ended payments to guatemala, honduras, and el salvador. no money goes there anymore. we were giving them $500 million. we were giving them tremendous aid. honduras, payment too guatemala, and el salvador. we were paying them tremendous amounts of money and we're not paying them anymore because they've not done a thing for us. amy: the united states spends about $620 million each year for gang prevention programs and other programs that support civil society in the three countries. advocates say cutting the funds will increase the flow of migrants into the u.s. trump officials say some 100,000 migrants arrived at the border this month. on friday, the state department began informing members of congress that it intends to end foreign assistance programs for the three countries. this came just days after department of homeland security secretary kirstjtjen nielsen met

with regional leaders on wednesday and signed what she called a a "first t of its kind" regionalal compactct agreement h the e northern triangle countrts focucusing on cutting migration and combating criminal organizations.s. spspeaking fridaday, trump also threatened to close the e border . is doingmp: mexico very well because of the united states. frankly, they have to stop the illegal immigration. we have run out of room. we have this ridiculous catch and release program where you catch them and then you're supposed to release them. you release them into our country. but mexico is going to have to do something, ototherwise i'i'm closing the border. i will disclose the border. with a deficit like we have with many years,ave for closing the border will be a profit-making operation. amy: on saturday, trump tweeted -- "mexico must use its very strong immigration laws to stop the many thousands of people trying to get into the usa. our detention areas are maxed out & we will take no more illegals.

next step is to close the border! this will also help us with stopping the drug flow from mexico!" trump has repeatedly threatened to close off the border but this time his administration says it is planning to follow through on his threats. on friday, the border patrol issued a notice that it would stop processing commercial trucks at the port of nogales, arizona. all of this comes after trump declared a national emergency to declare a national emergency to justify redirecting money earmarked for the military to pay for building a wall at the border. this morning he tweeted -- to talk more about possible consequences of trump's policies, we go to los angeles, where we're joined by john frey, five-time emmy award-winning investigative reporter and pbs newshour special correspondent who has reported extensively on immigration. in december, he traveled with the first migrant caravan from central america to the u.s.-mexico border.

welcome back to democracy now! can you start off with president trump's threats? can the president t do this? >> the president does have the ability to do such. if you can declare a state of emergency and close the border that is within the purview of the executive branch of government, but to actually do that, is it really going to resolve the problem? the issue is that that people are coming through the ports of entry. these are caravans, primarily,y, that are fililled with people wo are seeking asylum.. this is a perfectly legal process. they are presenting them selves atat the border to bororder officials, asking if they can make a claim of asylum. we have a process by whwhich we allow people to o make a clalai. those claims are taken a look at by offfficials in t the united statates to see if those claims are credible. a perfectly legal process. so closing the border isn't really going to hurt the caravans, is not would hurt the migrants who are seeking asylum,

it will only hurt the people and come across the border illegally. if you go to a port of entry, you probably have the paperwork to get back and forth. so if he is closing the border, he will hurt people who are coming back and forth with proper documentation. i don't understand the process. it seems like an alarmist approach just to bring focus to the border, maybe so he can increased tension and a clear the state of emergency -- which really does not even exist. amy: mexican president obrador responded saying, "we are going to help, to collaborate. we want to have a good relationship with the government of the united states. we are not going to argue about these issues." your response? a little more sympathetic to migration thahan the u.s. they understand the reason people are comining through mexo to the united states is because they don't hahave options. it is a smsmart thing to try to work together. i don't know whether president of the united states is not working with the country of

mexico and with the leaders of the central american countries instead of closing the border, sendnding the national guard, building the border wall. this is all too seal is often the rest of the world without actually working with these theseies to see with issues are. the crisis is not at the u.s.-mexico border. i am not saying there aren't people trying to get into the u.s. and there aren't a lot of people. there is a situation at the u.s.-mexico border, but the crisis is in c central ameriric. there are serious problems in these countries. we have to take a look at why people are coming. amy: before we go to president trump threatening to cut off aid to these countries, i want to go to el paso, texas, where border patrol officials said they were overwhelmed by the number of families crossing to seek asylum. video footage showed hundreds of migrants being held under a bridge, surrounded by chain-link fence at t temperatures didipped in the 40's.

over t w weeke, officis sasaid they roved t t families but critics say theyusust recateted them to another side of t bridge tt is harr to see others called it a stunt to support the argument that the u.s. is over capacity immigration detention centers and unable to hold new arrivals. the ncl you -- the aclu filed a complaint about the conditions, noting the border parol's budget had grown to $16.7 billion in 2019 from $7.1 billion in 2006. the complaint reads -- "the detention of migrants for multiple nights in outdoor detention pens is an unprecedented and extreme violation. although cbp has long violated the rights of migrants in its custody, the agency's decision to detain migrants, including children, in caged dirt filled outdoor areas is an escalation of this administration's cruelty." john carlos frey? >> i mean, amy, that is a mouthful. i don't even know where to begin. we are holding people underneath

a bridge. thisis is the united states holding people underneath a bridge surrounded by chain-link fence. these are women and children. i have read reports that people were abused. there were racial slurs thrown at them. they were called illegals. many of these people are seeking asylum come a they're not even illegal. i don't understand how the united states can hold people under those conditions. there are protocols. there are regulations that the united states is supposed to handle migration and people coming to the u.s. whether they enter with documents are not, we're supposed to hold them under humane conditions and feed them medical, provide attention. these are regulations that the u.s. has on the books. byby creatating some sort t of g kennel t the whole peoplple is unheard of. i have been reporting on the border for over a decade, and i've never heard of such a thing.

i don't know if we are at capacity. i don't have accccess to that information. but this is a phenomomenon that happenens every year. there is a sururge around this time of year around migration. it is not more people than we arare used to sing. record numbers wheezed to see back in the early 2 2000's, 1.6 million peopople. we are at about 600,000 people right now. so the fact we are at capacity does not quite make sense because we are about one million less apprehensions and we w were about 20 years ago. agent are a border patrol or cbp, yoyou're goioing to know there is going to be a surge in the spring. they come before it gets to hot. you put your personnel at the border accordingly and you make room. this is their job to manage the border, to manage migration. the fact they're having to hold them under the bridge is either incompetence o or t the adadministrationon trying to c e some sort t of falalse traumaa t

there is an emergency or there is a crisis. i really don't understand the way this administration is managing the border. it is shameful. amy: john carlos frey, talk about trump saying he's going to cut off aid to honduras, guatemala, and el salvador. the significance of this. some might argue to support the u.s. government from president obama's administration through trump has given to under is in what many call the legitimate government -- illegitimate government of juan linda hernandez has helped lead to deskcrisis of harder and's hundreds leaving the country. what about the significance of this mononey, where it is going, ?nd where it is cut off >> it is my understanding obama administration signed a deal with honduras, el salvador, guatemala to provide an aidede assisistant program to the tunef about a billion dollars. these are programs that are

funded by the united states and implememented by the united states. this is not money dumped into the country and isn't money that is handed over to the government most of these are u.s. workers who are working alongside these countries trying to implement programs such as entrepreneurship, trying to mitigate crime caused by gang violence, even some assistance for food programs. these are programs that are actually money going to programs that are managed by the united states. so it is kind of a falslse assumptition to lilieve that w e have actually dumped -- i think the president said $500 million and d have not received anything back from it. these programs are in place to keep people in these countries. the reason people are coming is because there are no jobs, no food, a crisis there is well, extreme violence. yes, the governments are corrupt some people are fleeing. the money the obama administration has given is for programs doubt people keep -- to

help peoeople keep in their cocountry. i don't understand what pulling their funding is going to do. , cacan he cut it off if congress voted for it? >> congress is the appropriator of funding. i think he made a misstatement, what a surprise, that he is a ready cut off the funding. it is my understanding that congress is going to have to improve such a measure. amy: john carlos frey, thank you for being with us, five-time emmy award-winning investigative reporter and pbs newshour special correspondent who has reported extensively on immigration. in december, he traveled with the first migrant caravan from central america to the u.s.-mexico border. this is democracy now! when we come back, it is the first anniversary of the great march of return. we will speak with the man who inspirir it. stay with usus. ♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. at a mass demonstration saturday on the first anniversary of the great march of return in gaza, israeli forces killed four palestinians, including three

teenagers. israeli soldiers used live ammunition, tear gas, and rubber bullets on the protesters, and tens of thousands came out to demand an end to the ongoing siege of gaza and the right to return. for more, we go to ahmed abu artema, the palestinian poet, journalist, and peace activist who inspired the great march of return and helped organize it as a cry for helelp. the former student of nonviolent resistance want to the movement to follow the examples of martin luther king jr. and mahatma gandhi. he was frustrated by israel's within decade-long land, sea, and air blockade upon the gaza strip of which it has waged three wars in the past 10 years. i interviewed him recently when he came to new york city after he traveled around t the united states talking about the situation in gaza. i asked him about the palestinian nononviolent movemet and the massive weekly protest marches. >> when i and some of my friends

invited to the march of return, a lot of people answered this a scream forit was life. a way of life in our hearts, palestinians. palestinians in gaza are actually in a real prison. they live in a real prison. they are without any of the basic conditions of human life. and before that, 75 persons of the palestinians inside gaza a refugee. that means their villages and towns are beyond the israeli fence. so when tens of thousands of palestinians shared in the march of return, they want to say that

we never give up our right to return. this is our normal right. united resolutions one and 34. the other side, they want to say that we want life and nothing but life. we are actually here inside gaza prison. we are dying. we are dying because of no medicine, no food, no work, no jobs, no factories -- hundreds of factories were destroyed in the last 10 years by israel attacks. these people search of hope. they want hope. they want dignified life. a scream of return is of life. it is a knock on the door.

when there a person inside a prison without food, without medicine, then he hasn't any choice but to knock on the door, to try to escape toward the life. this is exactly what the palestiniansns made in gaza. israel, our way of life is stronger than this. so we continue -- we want to struggle. and we struggle for life. we struggle for humanity. we struggle for justice. amy: explain what the siege is. narrowgaza strip is very . there are 2.2 million palestinians who live inside 75 persons of them are refugees. this fence separated us from our villages and towns where israel

expelled us out frorom there in 1948. so the palestinians believe in their right to return to their homes. years.ver give up in 70 untitil now, the palestinian refugees kept their keys, the keys of their homes in the origin cities and towns. they are waiting for that day that justice will be achieved and they can return to the homes. when i went there near the israeli separation fence with my friend -- and my friend hasan pointed to the fans and said, look, this is the fence but it is separating us from returning to our homes. and that night i posted on my

i saw the birds can pass freely between the two sides of the fence. what if we as humans decide to move freely? soldier willraeli shoot us as if we commit a crime? it is our normal right from our human right to move freely. fence.hould break this then after that, i wrote another post that i suggest 200,000 palestinians share in unarmed protest to demand their normal right to return to t their homes

and to live with dignity like other people. this fence symbolilizes -- t ths symbolized for the andpation and the prison are normal right to move to live normally. amy: describe the situation on the ground in gaza. how it is affected by the siege, by the blockade. which, by the way, israel insists it is not engaged in. >> the life inside gaza is really hard. according to the united nations report, gaza is in a livable place -- a livable place just next year, 2020. imagine inside gaza that people live without electricity for 16

continuous hours. and the majority of the youth inside gaza, they never traveled even one time of their lives. i am lucky that i finally was able to leave gaza and to travel. amy: this trip to the united states, this is yoyour first tie in the united states? >> yes, my first time. amy: you have been trying for years? >> i just traveled one time in for after the revolution egypt, but this is my first time to board a flight and come here to the united states.

in the majority of palestinians inside gaza, they never saw a plane in the sky, a plane which carries passengers. but ita lot of planes, is the israeli warplanes. it means to us as a symbol of .illing and horror we don't see the plane which symbolized life and human progress. gazahe people inside without medicine, without medical services, without jobs because the israeli occupation forces destroyed completely hundreds o of industrial factors then n 2014., and

inside gaza, they cannot be able to see the hope, to see the future. so what can we expect from these people? these people when they protest, they protest because they want toto makaketheir voices heard te world that we want life, that it is our normal life to live normally. amy: so people are engaging in this weekly mass protests and you have been met by massive response of the israeli military. >> yes. amy: talk about what happens in these friday protests around the fence. >> some people ask me and some journalists asked me, why are the palestinians continuing despite the high price victims and injured people? palestinians the

are continuing their protesting because this is their only choice. they have no other choices. skip towards a better life. peoplepeople -- when the shared in the march of return and protests, they came near the fence that separated them from their villages and cities. and the people collective peacefully. amy: that was ahmed abu artema, the palestinian poet, journalist, and peace activist who inspired the great march of return. israeli forces have killed more than 200,000 palestinians and according to some, more than 6000 palestinians have been wounded this year of the march. u.n. the says is really forcrces may have committed war crimes by charting protesters in gaza with legal force during this year,

including children, journalists, and the disabled. that does it for our broadcast. democracy now! has an immediate job opening for a full-time junior systems administrator here in our new york city studio. details at democracynow.org. democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed capt