amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> i don't think i can make it all the way up there, all the way up the peak, all the way up the hill. amy: as t world wches, as star ek actorilliam shner blas off int space, w spend the hr lookgelow at tragic stor from t region.

the disaearancef a lotime u.s rident wh crosd theorder an attempto reuni with mily intah. armao alejbarrios -- armando ejo hernandez hasn't been seen since may. we will speak with his son and brother and look at the broader cart -- broader crisis along the borde where unknownumber of migrantsreying. >>- >> very littleater. >>heriff's offe, how may help y? -- how may i help you? amy: we will speak to the leaders of two human rights groups in texas as well as the codirector of the new documentary, "missing in brooks county." all that and more, coming

up. welcome to democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. the u.s. will open its land borders with canada and mexico next month for people fully vaccinated against covid-19. the borders have been closed since march 2020 for noessentiatravel. a foodnd drug ministraon panels meetinthis weeto consid boosterhots of the morna, a johnson johnn covid vaines. modernsaid an ditional half-dose ot proded a significt immuneoost but fda scieists indated moderna ta has n met all criter for ahird dos two texas-based airlines, southwest airlines and american airlines, said they will still require their workers to get vaccinated despite governor greg abbott's new order banning vaccine mandates by any entity, including private

businesses. the airlines will continue to abide by the proposed federal mandate on vaccines for private companies, which could be finalized soon. the order would apply to businesses with 100 or more employees, and require workers to be vaccinated or get tested regularly. in wisconsin, two mothers whose children contracted covid-19 have sued their local school districts for neglecting to implement safety measures including mask mandates. both the parents' children wore masks but many other students, including actively sick ones, did not. in new york, a federal judge ruled tuesday health workers could be granted a religious exemption to the state's vaccine mandate while a legal challenge plays out in court. in economic news, the international monetary fund cut its global growth forecast and warned of inflation due to the

summer's delta surge and disruptions to supply chains. the house of representatives approved legislation tuesday evening to raise the debt limit until early december. not a single republican voted to raise the debt ceiling, even temporarily. house speaker nancy pelosi addressed her republican colleagues ahead of the vote. >> what do you have against our own economy, where this catastrophe of unbelievable proportions could have impacted over 100 years? amy: the measure, which the senate approved last week, is expected to be swiftly signed by president biden. in other legislative news, a group of new york congressmembers wrote a letter to house speaker nancy pelosi and senate majority leader chuck schumer urging them to keep the current funding for housing, transportation, and immigration reform in the build back better act. "we can't negotiate the reconciliation bill down to nothing," tweeted congressmember alexandria ocasio-cortez.

the white house has conceded the $3.5 trillion package will have to be slashed in order to appease conservative democratic senators joe manchin and kyrsten sinema. pramila jayapal, chair of the congressional progressive caucus, said tuesday instead of cutting the plan's provisions, progressive lawmakers are open to reducing the time the programs are in place in order to lower the topline price tag. congress member jayapal and senator bernie sanders also said medicare expansion is not up for negotiation in the reconciliation package. in washington, d.c., at least 155 indigenous leaders and climate justice advocates were arrested outside the white house tuesday as this week's climate actions continue. pressure is mounting on the biden administration divert from fossil fuels and declare a climate emergency.

activists also delivered a petition to encourage the army corps of engineers to stop the end bridge line three pipeline -- the endbridge line three pipeline. vice president kamala harris delivered a virtual address to the national congress of american indians yesterday. >> perpetrating violence, stealing land and spreading disease. we must not shy away from this shameful past, and we must shed light on it and do everything we can to address the impact of the pas on native communities today. amy: across latin america, thousands of indigenous leaders and supporters took to the streets to mark 529 years of indigenous resistance. in guatemala city, a colonial statue of a former president was stained with red paint, toppled and beheaded as protesters denounced a racist state.

protesters also attempted to topple a statue of christopher columbus. in bolivia, hundreds took to the streets of la paz to commemorate day of decolonization. >> women are here to fight. we won't rest from defending our homeland. more than ever, we tell the right-wingers in bolivia, we will keep on fighting and they shall respect us. amy: an austrian legal organization is urging the international criminal court in the hague to investigate far-right brazilian president jair bolsonaro for "crimes against humanity" over his destruction of the amazon. the landmark complaint filed by the group all rise said bolsonaro's actions have led to a quote "widespread attack on the amazon, its dependents and its defenders that not only result in the persecution, murder and inhumane suffering in the region, but also upon the global population." the european union pledged a

$1.15 billion aid package for afghanistan at a virtual g20 summit tuesday. that amount includes $346 million previously pledged to address urgent humanitarian needs in the region. the funds will go to organizations working in afghanistan, but not directly to the taliban governnt which is not officially recognized by the eu. the outgoing chairman counselor addressed the situation yesterday. >> to watch 40 million people fall into chaos because neither electricity can be supplied nor a financial system exists, that cannot and must not be the aim of the international community. amy: the taliban held their first in-person talks with both u.s. and european representatives in qatar tuesday. a new report in the journal nature sustainability warns of an "increasingly likely" massive oil spill from an abandoned, decaying oil

tanker off the coast of yemen. such a spill could further disrupt access to food and clean water to some 9 million people, and trigger an environmental catastrophe that would impact the entire region. the vessel has been deserted since 2015, and is loaded with more than a million barrels of crude oil, four times as much oil as spilled from the exxon valdez in 1989. yemenis are already facing the world's worst humanitarian crisis triggered by the u.s.-backed saudi led war. in tunisia, a new government was sworn in this week, including the country's first woman prime minister najla bouden. she appointed a record number of women to her cabinet, filling a political void left since since esent kais saied suspended parliament and ousted the former prime minister 11 weeks ago. critics have decried the "power grab" by saied, who has also diminished the

authority of the prime minister's office. during her swearing in, bouden vowed to raise living standards and fight corruption. >> one of the most important goals ever is to combat corruption which is increasingly spreading day by day and leads to a loss of confidencin any real reform attempt. amy: tigray forces say the ethiopian government has launched a massive, coordinated military assault across the region in an attempt the end the year-long war. the latest round of attacks violated a cease-fire declared by ethiopia's government in june. 5000 people in the region are need a few minutes arian assistance to survive but the ethiopian government is blocking the movement of medicine and fuel into tigray. in eswatini, soldiers and police have for weeks been deployed in schools across

the southern african nation to repress ongoing student-led, anti-government protests. students have been boycotting classes and engaging in other actions demanding political reforms. students are also calling for the release of two lawmakers arrested during pro-democracy mobilizations earlier this year. it was reported that at least 17 students were arrested, including a seven-year-old. protests erupted months ago against king mswati iii as eswatini, formerly known as swaziland and africa's last absolute monarchy, is facing an economic crisis with shortages of food and other resources. back in the u.s., michigan officials have warned residents in the city of benton harbor not to use tap water for drinking, cooking or brushing their teeth due to lead contamination. the city's tap water was found to contain lead levels up to 60 times the federal limit as early as 2018. that's higher than the

contamination of flint's tap during its water crisis. advocates are calling for officials to declare a state of emergency and for the epa to intervene. the population of benton harbor is 85% black, and nearly half its residents are poor. in washington, d.c., rohit chopra was sworn in tuesday as the director of the consumer financial protection bureau. he was involved in setting up the bureau alongside senator elizabeth warren and is known as a tough critic and regulator of big tech and wall street. senator warren called him "a terrific champion for consumers." the biden administration has ordered immigration and customs enforcement to stop conducting massive raids at job sites known to employ undocumented workers, and vowed to establish a new more effective strategy to target employers who engage in exploitative labor practices. homeland security seetary alejandro mayorkas in a memo urged ice to review its enforcement policies in the

next 60 days, and ordered the agency to enact rules that would better protect undocumented workers, who report their employers for abuse or substandard wages, from deportation. a federal jury found two parents guilty friday in the college admissions scandal known as "operation varsity blues." jurors convicted john wilson and gamal abdelaziz on all charges, including conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to commit bribery, in order to gain spots for their children at the university of southern california under the guise of athletic recruitment. wilson is a private-equity financier and former staples and gap executive, and abdelaziz is a former wynn casino executive. they face up to 20 years in prison and will be sentenced in february. the other schools involved were stanford and harvard. and anonymous workers at google and amazon are speaking out against their employers' contracts with the israeli government. known as project nimbus, the

$1.2 billion agreement will provide cloud services to the israeli military and othegovement agencies. the unnamed workers write quote "we cannot look the other way, as the products we build are used to deny palestinians their basic rights, force palestinians out of their homes and attack palestinians in the gaza strip." as of tuesday, over 90 workers at google and over 300 at amazon signed on to the letter. meanwhile, palestinian rights groups are applauding the decision by acclaimed irish author sally rooney to deny translation rights to an israel-based publishing house for her latest book. rooney said the move is spurred by her support for palestinian rights and the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. rooney, known for her novels 'conversations with friends' and 'normal people', said she would be honored to have her book published in hebrew but could not sign a deal with a company that quote "does not publicly distance itself from apartheid."

and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. coming up, as star trek actor william shatner blasts off into space above the harsh west texas desert, we spen the hour looking below at the tragic story from the region, the disappearance of a longtime u.s. resident who crossed the border in an attempt to reunite with his family in utah. stay with us. ♪ ♪ [music break]

amy: rocio durcal, singing eternal love. i am joined by juan gonzalez from new jersey. juan: hi, amy and welcome to all of our listeners and viewers across the country and arou the wor. amy:he west xas townf van horn is inhe new toda as the te of a scheduled privatspace ight lnched bylue igin, thcompany arted by aman foundejeff bezos, one othe wod's richest n. passengers wl incle the 90-year-d actor llia atner, bt knownor playg captaikirk on ar trek atner anthree otrs wille rocketed high above the unfoiving chuahuan desert tt stradds the s./mexicborder. for ese giddspace

tourts experncing weiglessnessit may b the tr of a litime. far low, couless oths ke a fareightier trip, attempting the perilous trip -- track from mexico, across -- attempting the perilous trek from mexico, across the desert furnace on foot, seeking refuge in the united states. many of these migrants, exhausted and dehydrated, perish in the desolate terrain. we begin today looking at the tragic story of a father who crossed the texas-mexico border with hopes of reuniting with his family in utah. he was last heard from in early may, as he tried to walk across the texas desert on foot. for more than a decade, armando alejo hernandez was one of more than twelve million undocumented residents in the united states. he was deported in 2016, leaving behind a family in

park cit,y utah including -- park city, utah including two sons, now 13 and 17. they are both u.s. citizens by birth. after spending five formative years without his father, his elder son derek asked his dad if he could visit them in the u.s. armando promised he would find a way. little is known about armando's trek across the border and through the desert, but he did send some voice messages to derek. in one call, armando told derek that he was out of water, that his cell phone was almost dead, and that he didn't think he could go on. in another message, armando described the clothing he was wearing. >> i am wearing a black sweatshirt and blue pants. amy: armando also described the harsh terrain in the

texas desert. >> i don't think i can make it all the way up there, all the way up the peaks, all the way up the hill. amy: these messages were the last time armando's family heard his voice. based on a photo armando sent his family, it appears he was in hudspeth county, southeast of el paso near eagle peak where the u.s. government has a radar installation. armando was never heard from again. in a moment we will be joined by his son, derek but first i want to turn to armando's brother, marcos alejo. he is a restaurant worker in park city, utah. he and armando first migrated to the united states together in 2000. marcos last spoke to his brother in early may just before armando went missing in the texas desert. marcos: we are searching for

armando who has been missing for five months now. he was coming to the united states to help his child. he came here to work. he is very honest and hard-working. we are asking for the support of border patrol, then we asked the mexican consulate for support. we never saw any action. i would call them every eight days and they would tell me they were looking for him but we didn't have any luck. my brother is a very kind person. it would mean the world to us if he were returned. we are also worried because it has been five months. we want to hug him but we sadly can't. we don't know what is going on.

my brother is a very calm person. he came here so excited to work and help out his children. my family in mexico is so worried, my mother is ill. we hope we will hear from him soon. we have been frightened. i have called the catholic church, but i don't have any answers. i called the morgue. all they tell me is you just have to wait. you just have to wait. that is what we have done

for the past five months, but we have heard nothing. amy: that is marcos alejo speaking to democracy now! about his brother, armando who went missing in the texas desert in ma we are joined now by two guests. fernando garcia is with us. he is the founder and executive director of the el-paso, texas-based border network for human rights. with us from park city, utah is armando's 17-year-old son , derek alejo barrios. thank you so much for joining us. we heard those painful last clips of your dad, the messages he left you. can you talk about what you understood about his journey? derek: what i understood was that he took a longer route, but easier, instead of

running into immigration right away. the day before he called me, he said everything was going as planned but there were days where he called me and he had run into some trouble and sn't feeling so good. that is when the trouble started. he was wanting help so he wouldn't be stranded out in the desert. juan: derek, at the time that he called you, was he traveling by himself? did he start out with a group of people at first? derek: he started out with a group of people, and as they kept going, my dad wasn't feeling good.

he was slowing down but didn't want to slow down the rest of the group, so he decided to stay behind and let them go on because he couldn't keep on. that is where he starts slowing down and taking breaks and the group got a head he lost the group. amy: i want to turn to a person who was with him on that journey, and then we are going to bring fernando garcia into this conversation. telemundo el paso spoke to one of seven migrants who crossed with armando and last saw him before he was left near sierra blanca, texas. alexis corona told telemundo the temperature on that day in may was likely above 100 degrees fahrenheit.

alexis: armando said he couldn't walk anymore and wanted to see if he could be rescued. from where he stayed, maybe eight or nine miles ahead, the rest of us were caught by immigration agents. we explained to them where armando was, that he couldn't walk anymore and did not have enough water or food. the reaction was ok, if he stayed behind he will have to stay there. amy: that was alexis corona, who was arrested and deported, saying that he told the immigration authorities that a man, armando hernandez had been left behind. this is where i want to bring in fernando garcia. at this point, we have not heard from armando since the first week in may when he left those messages for his son and talked to his

brother. yet you have this migra saying he told the immigration authorities that a sick migrant was left behind, and told them where he was. rnando: good morning. thank you for having me. this is a very important issue and it is long overdue to talk about these human rights crises at the border. unfortunately, armando's case is not a single case or isolated. this is part of a very dramatic patte, a boodle -- a brittle strategy -- a brutal strategy. sinc 1995, more than 500 migrants have died every year while crossing the border. many of them are never found.

many of them disappeared. the families are still waiting for them, looking for them. it is a representation of what was implemented in the 19's. the idea was that immigrants would find it very hard to cross the border if they were pushed into the desert or the mountains. they could be injured or even die, so they would be deterred from crossing. that was the intention of the policing. what happened is that migration did not stop, and these strategies are still in place. thousands of refugees, asylum-seekers have died. many of them have not been found.

it is a failed strategy, it has caused a lot of damage and a lot of suffering. in this case, we called border patrol and the mexican consulate. even that protocol has failed. it seems that they didn't do anything even though they had all the information from armando's sons. you had pictures, recordings, messages. they have not produced a single report on armando's case. it is very unfortunate, but i think the crisis we are talking about today, we hope this will bring more attention to this issue. juan: fernando, in terms of the role of the border patrol in this situation, are they generally -- what have you seen in terms of

their willingness to try and search for some of these lost people? we have had segments here on democracy now! of the border patrol going after groups providing water and other supplies for migrants crossing the desert . what is your sense of how the border patrol deals with these issues? fernando: we contacted border patrol in armando's case. it seems that they had a strategy or they were supposed to have a protocol for search-and-rescue operations, they are supposed to go in with enough information to search and rescue people. part of their pr, they have these teams going into the desert to rescue people but in this case, that protocol

faed. what i'm saying is that there is something -- in practice, as we reached out to border patrol directly, they continue to tl us -- that we need to go to the mexican consulate. as we did that, we called the mexican csulate because that is supposed to be the form for requesting search-and-rescue. we did tt and no action was taken, not a single action by border patrol, much less by the mexican consulate. days and weeks passed with no rescue operation. later on we knew that border patrol does not search for remains. that means if after a period of time, they don't do

anything to rescue somebody, they won't do anything to help. my impression, my feeling is that there are a lot of people who disappeared in the desert and mountains, that they are not being looked for. there is no clear protocol. amy: we have been following this case for some time, and we got a note from the chief of texas rescue patrol, a dision of texas recreational safety and land management. it was very hopeful. was in july and it said i just want follow-upith you. i spoke to lieutenant henshaw with the sheriff's office. are volunteers and the sheriff's office are going to conduct a joint search and recovery operation next week. we are going to bring out our canine cadaver dogs to assist us. i can't promise we will find him but i can promise we will try our best to bring closure to this family, god

bless. but then we were told that that had been called off. so there was a whole plan to go out and find, perhaps, god for bid the body of armando, but then that was called off by the higher-ups. it was devastating to me, writing to derek and his mother that there was this hope, but then that they had said no. fernando: let me point out a couple things. in the telemundo reference you made, that person who was along with armando, in that video -- in the interview, they mentioned that armando had stayed behind a couple miles back and the response he got from border patrol agents was that essentially, he didn't care. the border patrol did not

care. i think you have a practice of disregarding the well-being and the lives of refugees and immigrants at the border. we know there is this infusion of white supremacy and hate and xenophobia in our border police but there is a point where even bodies being found the river, they are being called floaters. they are not "recogned -- they are not being recognized as humaman being i do believe there is an intentional dehumanization of immigrants and refugees.

if america is concned about lives and human beings, we- thousands of migrants have died at the border. this is a crisis and it is imperative that something is done, that this administration that promised a new approach, they need to stop this madness at the border. they need to stop this aggression. so many people are suffering, so many families are being impacted. juan: i wanted to ask, you mentioned this administration. it is continuing president trump's policies in relation to the title 42 program, which exploits and obscures a section of the u.s. health law that allows deportation without due process during a public health crisis, as we have with the covid pandemic.

i am wondering your sense of what the biden administration is doing right now. fernando: you are correct. everybody knows that title 42 wasn't an immigrant strategy. it was implement it by trump. we do not understand how president biden has not repealed or stop this. border patrol stops people crossing the border and immediately, without due process or a possibility to apply for asylum or refugee status, in the last few years, the administration has created the situation at the border. i believe this year, maybe we are going tbreak the record for migrants dying at

the border, and people disappearing at the border because of title 42. there is a push by organizations, by the immigrant rights community to ask this administration to fill the promise to change the inhumane policy at the border. amy: and you met with vice president kamala harris on the border, fernando. what did she say about this? you have a top-level state department official under obama and biden, quitting over title 42. fernando: it is difficult to understand why this title was not changed but i think what has transpired is that the biden administration and everybody in this administration, they have a good manner about the border, it seems they have

good intentions. in practice, in the field, things change. we still have children in detention. we have a lot of people dying because of these policies. these changes that were promised have not hpened. the administration still has time to correct these wrongs at the border and repeal title 42. amy: we want to end with derek. derek, you are in high school, it is right before you're going to school. when are you turning 18? derek: i turn 18 on the 24th of this month.

amy: the very best for your birthday. i am hoping the best for your family. can you talk about why you wanted your dad back in park city? derek: i wanted him back here, because it is tough not being able to see my dad. we were always calling on the phone or sometimes facetiming. i was just really close with my dad and not having him around was tough. i grew up my whole childhood, all the time with my dad and not having him around was tough. we were on the phone one day and i asked him if he could come back. i just wanted him around. the last time i got to see him in person was 2019.

before that, i didn't get to see him for four years. that is why i asked him to come back. he said he would, and then all of that happened. it was really unfortunate and it is a tough situation to go through. amy: i want to show that picture again that your dad took, not of himself but what was ahead of him in the harsh desert. he circled that white radio tower, that was in front of him. for anyone in the area, you could forget -- you could figure it out. certainly cbp knows that area like the back of their hand. fernando, any last words for derek? fernando: i am so sorry that this is happening. please know that we are not going to stop looking for

your dad. that is the promise of the border network. we are committed to this case because what is happening to you and your family should not be acceptable. we will not stop and we will continue looking for him. derek: thank you very much. amy: derek, thank you so much for being with us. it is very brave to come on this show. derek alejo, 17 years old in hi school. he wanted his dad to be at his graduation. his dad is armando alejo hernandez. fernando garcia, we thank you for the -- for being with us, head of the border network for human rights, sed in el paso, texas. we come back, we will speak to the director of the south texas human rights center

and look at the new documentary, "missing in brooks county." stay with us. ♪ ♪ [music break] de

amy: "fuego" by la muna. this is democracy now! we continue to look at the humanitarian crisis along the southern border of the net it states, were more people are dying trying to cross the u.s.-mexico border than ever before as president biden increases funding for border enforcement and militarization, even as he vows not to expand trump's border wall. official counts show around a thousand people have died trying to cross since the 1994 start of the prevention through deterrence policy under president clinton. the debts are undercounted, some estimate as many as 80,000 people have disappeared across the borderlands. we now turn to brooks county, south texas which recorded nearly triple the number of migrant deaths this year already so far. those are just the ones we

know about. the news outlet border report said the bodies of more than two dozen migrants who died as they attempted to journey north through brooks county are now being held in a temporary mobile morgue. this week, the brooks county sheriff met with greg abbott to request more support. this comes as counties near the texas border are seeing a higher number of migrant deaths as more people seeking asylum tried to cross through the desert to avoid points of entry where people are now blocked from applying for refugee -- for refuge a are eelled without due process. the cris is documented in the new film, "missing in broo county." >> theederal govnment inks -- th is notrue. the boer patro staon is

mang these people walkn the ep san witvery ttleater >> sheriff's office, how my i he you? i'm trying toave some inrmatioregardina family memr who missg. >> tre's been a lot of missingeople. >> we realized, there was a oblem alg the border. i don't thinanybody alized just how g it wa thsands of people ha ed. aillegaalien osser is an illegaalien crosser >> we e in a w zone here. >> thiis the tas human rights center.

likyou ju walkeoff the ear. if yodidn't exist. amy: "missing in brooks countyfollowtwo famies as ty go tbucksounty to fd out wh hapned to eir lovenes who ey thk went msing in at area inhis clip, or roman d mielle romanook for omar's broth. >> good afrnoon. am tryinto he some formation rarding a family membewho is missg. do start cnty haened ha any informati of rsons theyave fndn stark unty? ooks cnty has binde of l the mains an bods thathey haveound. tre's be a loof ssingeople. at wou be the in ofce. >>et m transfer yoto a ja. >> ok.

yes? indiernible >>sual when ty find somedy, usually go to e regula cemety. >> wre is t report? >>et me cck. it is th the vestigats. think its the county metery or e city cetery. y: a sce from "msing inrooks coty." e film ao flows a borderatrol officerlex jara, afr eddie nales with theouth tas human ghts cenr asks f help th a famy searchg for eir missg loved e. >> on thase, i got

callrom his d. i thini got me good formatio it is denitely t mariposa branch. [indisrnible n this brah, evything lks the same. we were iting by offen, and dense ithe same three miles ck and rht here for uso fi that on ple is ver hard. is is e third e in a ek.

>> when we start calling them people, it gets to you. amy: we are joined by eddie canales. he is one of the people who you just heard in that clip. also with us, li malomot, codirector of this powerful documentary, "missing in brooks county." the film will be streaming on itunes and amazon starting november 2nd, and will air on pbs independent lens next january. welcome to democracy now! eddie, this is devastating. you have found what, 99 bodies and remains in brooks county alone? is it increasing under president biden? eddie: the increase in migration has begun since the beginning of the biden administration, and admits

the number of people we found is based on our operationnd our working relationship with border patrol in terms of the families. i have families and representatives from different countries right now, that are still searching for their missing loved ones. they are in the background right now, but they are doing a twday tour in south texas and the number has increased. there has been 99 recoveries of bodies or skeletal remains in brooks county alone, this year. juan: eddie, what do you think is driving the increase? some republicans are insisting that migrants are coming because they believe the biden administration has a more relaxed policy and that is what is driving migration. others say it is the

worsening conditions in central america and other parts of latin america during the covid pandemic that is actually driving the increase. what iyour sense? eddie: there is still title 42 that is still in place, so the majority of people are being expelled continually under the biden admistrationut the fference is the unacmpaniedchilen, the has be a pross. centraamerican childn cong in and familiesot beineparat, buthe poli is thsame regding titl42. a lot ofeople e being expell withoutny due process regaing thei asylumlaim. most sine malesreeing expell. there ha't be a change in t policy, regarding.

is just auestn of the childr, uncompanie children thahave bn pressed d situated with sponsors or family members already in this country. juan: have you seen a difference in how officials treat mexican children who are foununaccompanied at the border? eddie: i failed to mention, all mexican unaccompanied children are immiately expelled back into mexico because it is right there next-door. so the process for children that are fleeing the same conditions the same existence in the ctral american countes, these children are being sent back to mexico in that regard. that has been the same policy since obama was in

place, and the trump administration was in place. mexican children are not getting their due process. amy: eddie, i'm going to ask if people behind you can come forward and say their names and their loved one who is missing, and as you organize that, i want to go to lisa malomot, codirector of "missing in brooks county ," an astounding heart rending, heartbreaking film. talk about why you did it and what you are hoping to accomplish with it. lisa: originally, we set out to make a very different film about a forensic scientist but my codirector an i went to brooks county with this forensic scientist and we discovered what was goin on and we immediately knew the story we were going to tell was a much bigger story than we initially thought. this was in 2015.

over the course of four years, we kept going back to brooks county for a couple weeks every three months and just dug deeper and deeper into the story and eventually found the romans, the family featured in our film. amy: talk about what happened to them and what they found. lisa: so their son and brother grew up in houston. he came to the u.s. when he was five. he grew up in houston and since his -- and in his early 30's, he s deported back to mexico, a country in which he never really lived. he was there for a couple years and decided to come back to the u.s. and live with his family, in the country where he grew up. on his way back, he went missing in brooks county and his family went to search for him. no answers.

they eventually found us through our website. they were googling missing in brooks county and they found our film. we talked to them about the film we were making and they talked to us about their story and we asked if they wanted up or dissipate -- we asked if they wanted to participate. the next week, we were filming with them. we followed them back to works county to try and find their loved one. they are still looking for him. juan: lisa, the population brooks county is just about 7000 people, and yet estimates are that as many as 2000 migrants are presumed dead since 2008. can you talk about the county itself? lisa: it is mostly private ranchland. if anything nose in it -- if

anybody knows anything about texas, a lot of south texas is reallyast rches. on rch i biggethan th state rhode iand. th gives y aensef how ese rancs are. migrants are dropped off south of the chepoint so they canircumventhe chkpoint, and they lk on these prate ranches r days and therun out water. is ver hot in south tas -- it s very h in sout texa so th is howhey ardying angoing missing amy: let me go back to eddie canales. you are surrounded -- our radio listeners cannot see but our viewers can see -- by people holding pictures. can you say your name and the loved one you re looking for? [speaking spanish]

amy: migrants from honduras and guatemala. eddie, your final thoughts? eddie: this is a constant situation with the families that are calling us and here at the center in terms of the search. this delegation of families are here in the united states to bring attention to the situation, and try to

figure out what are the obstacles that are preventing them from being able to find their loved ones that are missing and have been for a long time? amy: we will continue to follow these stories. thank you for being with us. eddie canales of texas human rights center and lisa malomot, codirector of "missing in brooks county." their is a major multi-day march going on in new jersey, where juan is. juan: the people's organization for progress is walking across the state. they started in montclair, marching all the way to trenton, over 60 miles throughout the week, to press the issues of police abuse bills that are before the legislature, which is refusing to act, including subpoena power, making chokeholds illegal and so forth.

it is an important march that will land in trenton on saturday. amy: that does it for our show. a very happy birthday to miguel noguiera. democracy now! is currently holding ■■■■■■■

(sophie fouron) this is japan. but people here don't call themselves japanese. it's okinawa, an island closer to taiwan than tokyo. there's something like a million and a half people here, and they're known to live longer than anyone else on the planet. there's a very strong american presence in okinawa. not only did the americans occupy the island after the second world war, they stayed. there's a very big military presence. the fact that these old enemies coexist on this tiny island, but coexist peacefully, says a lot about the people of okinawa. there are a lot ofs.