amy: from new york this is democracy now... >> every statement i make is backed up solid sources. these are not assertions. what we are giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence. amy: general colin powell has died at the age of 84. his life and legacy and paving the way for the u.s. invasion of iraq in 2003 to helping shape

u.s. military policy during the 1980's. then, a democracynow exclusive. we speak with a prominent haitian-american immigrants rights activist appoied to iti in 20 in a rerkable velopmt. heas allied -- allowed to f back to new rk aftereceivin specl parole i have alwaywanted to be wi my kids and now i get a second chance to be with them again. amy: all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. former president donald trump has filed suit to stop the congressional committee investigating the capitol insurrection from receiving records about the january 6th riot, as well as trump's efforts

to overturn the will of voters in the november election. trump's legal team claims the request undermines trump's executive privilege and is asking for more time to review records requests. this comes as the january 6th committee has laid out its contempt case against former trump white house strategist stephen bannon, who defied a congressional subpoena, claiming executive privilege. the committee is expected to vote today to refer bannon for criminal charges. meanwhile, donald trump gave several hours of videotaped testimony monday in a deposition ordered by a new york judge. the civil case was brought by six plaintiffs of mexican descent who say trump's security guards assaulted them outside trump tower in 2015 as they peacefully protested trump's racist comments about mexicans. their lawyer said monday that trump personally authorized violence. >> we believe there is evidence

to demonstrate that before and after the incident, the trump organization, the trump campaign trump campaign, and donald trump himself authorized and condoned violent acts in violation of individual rights. amy: a food and drug administration panel has recommended third booster shots of moderna's covid-19 vaccine for people 65 and older, at high risk of disease and workplace exposure. the fda is also expected this week to allow u.s. residents to mix-and-match different covid-19 vaccines. colin powell's family says the former top us general and secretary of state had a form of blood cancer that left him vulnerable to infection, before his death from covid-19 on monday at the age of 84. although powell was fully vaccinated against covid-19, we -- he was struggling with both parkinson's disease and multiple myeloma, which left him severely immunocompromised. on monday president biden ordered flags at the white house

to be flown at half-staff in powell's honor through friday and top administration officials were effusive in their praise of powell. this is secretary blinken. >> today the nation celebrates years of service and victory. >> the world lost one of the greatest leaders we have ever witnessed. >> what an incredible american. amy: as chair of the joint chiefs of staff, powell was the architect of the us invasion of panama in 1989 and oversaw the us-led war on iraq in 1991. as secretary of state under george w. bush, powell gave false testimony to the un security council in 2003 about nonexistent weapons of mass destruction in iraq, paving the way for the u.s. invasion and occupation. by many estimates, the war

killed over 1 million iraqis. after headlines, we'll have more on colin powell's life and legacy. democratic senator joe manchin is continuing to derail much of president biden's legislative agenda, with outrage growing over his demand for income limits and work requirements for families receiving a child tax credit. manchin said sunday he wants to offer the $300 per month tax credit only to families with incomes under $60,000, with children's parents or guardians including elderly grandparents, required to hold a job. an expanded child tax credit would lift an estimated 4.3 million u.s. children out of poverty. senator manchin is also refusing to support president biden's climate change legislation, putting democrats' infrastructure bill and social spending package at risk. manchin met separately monday with two progressive leaders on capitol hill. vermont independent senator bernie sanders, and before that, congressmember

pramilla jayapal, chair of the congressional progressive caucus. the u.s. justice department has asked the supreme court to halt texas's near-total ban on abortions, after an appeals court overturned a stay on its enforcement last week. the conservative-led supreme court previously refused to halt the law before it first went into effect in september. a pair of supreme court rulings monday will help police officers accused of excessive force escape liability in civil lawsuits. the court's unsigned decisions bolstered the doctoring of qualified immunity which shields police officers from lawsuits. in wisconsin, a new lawsuit accuses the police department over the police shooting of jacob blake last year. video from august 25 shows kenosha officers giving out water and praise to vigilantes carrying high-powered

semiautomatic rifles, a protesters shot in the arm by 17-year-old kyle rittenhouse who also fatally shot two people with an illegally obtained assault rifle. rittenhouse faces homicide charges are: a trial set to begin november 1. the venezuelan government denouncing the capture of columbian businessman and venezuelan diplomat alex saab, a close ally of president nicolas maduro who was taken by u.s. authorities from the island nation of cabo verde and flown to miami over the weekend. supporters say saab was apprehended without any proper legal basis as the u.s. has no extradition treaty with cabo verde, an island some 400 miles off the northwestern coast of africa. saab was previously detained in cabo verde for over a year after his private plane made a fuel stop en route to iran reportedly to buy humanitarian supplies. the u.n. human rights committee have called for his extradition order to be suspended and said

he had been denied treatment for his cancer while jailed in cape verde. saab appeared in a miami court for the first time monday facing corruption charges. in response, venezuela's government has halted negotiations with the u.s. this is venezuelan president nicolas maduro. >> the plane arrived, the hitmen came down. they fought about and removed him from the jail he was held. they took him without advising lawyers nor the family nor anybody. amy: nbc news reports the homeland security department is planning to build an "intelligence-gathering" cell to closely surveil the movement of migrants in central and south america who may be making their way to the united states to seek asylum. dhs officials are also seeking to establish aerial surveillance of trucks and migrate camps

across multiple borders in increased collaboration between central and south american authorities and u.s. agents. the cell will be operational by the end of october. this comes as some 90,000 migrants hoping to reach the u.s. for refuge remain trapped in the southern mexico city. this is louise garcia, a human rights advocate. >> the biden administration will give $20 million to the mexican and central american governments to contain migrant and find out what is going on. they should give $10 million to this city and all of us could stay here, but they should do it under the scrutiny of the world, otherwise the money goes into containment and deportation that the mexican government is taking out. amy: at least 10 emigrant justice advocates were arrested monday after temporarily blocking the entrance to port miami by lying in the roadway. the active civil disobedience was led by several groups

calling the biden administration to end the deportation of asylum-seekers and issue permanent immigration for millions of people. the criminal gang that kidnapped 17 u.s. canadian missionaries is asking for $1 million for each hostage release, amounting to $17 million. the biden administration said the fbi was in negotiations with the kidnappers from the gang. here in new york, jean montrevil has returned home after he was deported to haiti in 2018. democracynow has followed his case for over a decade. later, he will join us from a studio here in new york for an exclusive interview. indigenous communities from the amazon rain forest have filed a

lawsuit against the government of will also to hold his plans for a massive expansion of oil extraction, endangering millions of acres of sacred land and the livelihood of indigenous nations. hundreds of indigenous elders and youth ride to the capital on monday to file the lawsuit with ecuador's highest court. this is a leader speaking yesterday. >> our territory is light. we live there, cultivate, fish, hunt. we unite in the rain fours on the land and on the river. -- we unite in the rain forest, on the land, and on the river. amy: in italy, tens of thousands of antifascist protesters rallied in rome on saturday, in

a show of strength one week after right-wing extremists smashed into the offices of italy's oldest trade union organization. among those marching was maurizio landini, secretary-general of the italian general confederation of labour. >> fascist movements that use violence must be resolved. from solidarity, we must move on to concrete action and it is time for the state to demonstrate its democratic strength in applying the principles of the constution. amy: here in new york city, a group of taxi drivers is launching a hunger strike as they continue to demand new york and enact debt relief for thousands of drivers who have been devastated by massive debt. it is largely due to the inflated cost of taxi medallions after taxi drivers held a 30 day around-the-clock protest outside of city hall.

drivers have been denouncing the mental health impacts triggered by the financial ruin. at least mine taxi drivers have died by suicide. -- at least nine taxi drivers have died by suicide. and those are some of the headlines this is democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. when we come back, the legacy of general colin powell be helping shape u.s. military policy in panama during the 1980's. stay with us.

amy: this is "democracy now!" i'm amy goodman. >> welcomes all of our listeners

across the country and around the world. amy: president biden ordered flags at the white house to be flown at half staff in honor of general colin powell who died monday at the age of 84. he was the first black secretary of state, the first black and youngest chair of the joint chiefs of staff, and the first black national security advisor. on monday, tributes poured in from both republican and democratic leaders. president biden called powell a patriot of unmatched honor and dignity. in other parts of the world, powell is rendered differently. in iraq, the man who famously put -- through a shoe at george bush tweeted that he died before being tried for his crimes in iraq. general powell played a pivotal role in paving the way for the

u.s. invasion. it was february 5, 2003 that powell addressed the united nations security council and made the case for a first strike on iraq. his message was clear. iraq possessed extremely daerous weapons of mass destruction and saddam hussein was trying to decei you and inspectors -- u.n. inspectors. >> the existence of mobile production facilities used to make biological agents. let me take you inside that intelligence file and share with you what we know from eyewitness accounts. we have first-hand descriptions of biological weapons factories on wheels and on rails. the trucks and train cars are easily moved and are designed to evade detection by inspectors.

in a matter of months, they can produce a quantity of biological poison equal to the entire amount that iraq claimed to have produced in the years prior to the gulf war. amy: all of colin powell's claims about weapons of mass destruction turned out to be false. he later described the speech as a blot on his record. the 2003 spee was not the first time general powell had falsely alleged iraq had deadly weapons. in 1991, the u.s. bombed iraq's only baby formula factory. at the time, general powell said , "it is not an infant formula factory. it was a biological weapons facility, of that we are sure. " investigators confirmed the factory was in fact making baby formula. while many in iraq consider powell to be a war criminal, just like they consider george bush and dick cheney, powell has

long been celebrated. he was born in harlem in 1937. his parents had immigrated from jamaica. he was educated in public schools including city college of new york before he joined the military. he served two tours in vietnam. he was accused of helping to whitewash a massacre when u.s. soldiers slaughtered up to 500 villagers, most of them women, children, and the elderly. while investigating an account of the massacre, powell wrote, "in direct reputation of this portrayal is the fact that relations between american soldiers and the vietnamese people are excellent." powell spent 35 years in the military, rising to cheer the joint chiefs of staff. in the 1980's, he helped shape military policy in latin america at a time when u.s.-backed forces killed hundreds of thousands of people in el salvador, nicaragua, guatemala,

and other countries. powell also helped oversee the u.s. invasion of panama and the persian gulf war. from 2001 to 2005, he served as secretary of state under george w. bush. after working under three republican presidents, general powell made headlines in 2008 when he endorsed barack obama for president just two weeks before election day. earlier this year, general powell said he no longer considered himself a republican following the january 6 insurrection at the capital. general colin powell died on monday. his family said he died from covid-19 complications. he was struggling with parkinson's disease and multiple myeloma. to talk more about his life and legacy, we are joined by two guests.

roberto, author of "forgetting." he has closely tracked general powell's history. we are joined by a professor at howard university. he is the author of many books including "colin powell and condoleezza rice: foreign policy in the century." if you can talk about the legacy of colin powell. >> thank you, amy. powell is a complicated political figure who leaves a complicated legacy. as you outlined in your introduction, powell has a rise from the bottom that captured many people. he rose from growing up in poor areas in new york toecome fourth in line for president

wh he became the secretary of state. in the early 1990's, he was championed by both democrats and republicans, recruited by both to run for president. he declined in 1995. he announced that he was joining the republican party. the republican party he joined in 1995. the republican party of blue gingrich. colin was pro-choice, pro-afrmative-action, all of which the republican party have been against. he joined the george w. bush administration, the very first choice of george w. bush for his cabinet because powel has the international respect that nobody else in and around george

w. bush had. but he never really fit in. in the first eight or nine months of the bush adminirationpowell lost fight after fight when dick cheney and donald rumsfeld and others who were called the neoconservatives were really running the administration. there was a good bet that powell was not going to last until the end of the year. but then september 11 happened, powell decided to stay, but he is still very isolated. they basically saw him as a milk carton. they put him in the refrigerator and when they needed him, they would bring him on the shelf. they brought him off the shelf in 2003 to talk at the u.n. because there was no one else in thedministration who could give the attention -- get the

attention and respect and colin powell gave that talk which was from a to z false. he was the only one in the administration and a year and half later, he is gone. he is complicated because in many ways, he did not fit in with the republican party. he did not leave until eary this year. but he increasingly, anyone who is a moderate, black moderate, simply had no place in the republican party. he endorses obama. he endorses biden. he endorses hillary clinton. at least he votes for them. he had been moved out of the republican party for many years. but he was not a democrat or a progressive either.

because of a long history of aggression internationally going all the way back to reagan and the foreign policy controversies of the 1980's and onto the bush administration, which not only included iraq, but also included the bush policy toward cuba, toward venezuela, policies around africa, all of which increasingly isolated colin powell from the progressive community. >> professor, i wanted to ask you, in terms of the need for both the democrats and the republicans to repeatedly hold up general powell, especially secretary of state powell as a key and important american speaker, given the fact that the

u.s. military, of all of the institutions, none is more racially diverse. it seems to me than the u.s. military was about 40% or more than 40% of the troops as people of cor. could you talkbout the importance of powell as a figure, given the demographics and the changes in the american military? prof. lusane: part of the capital that colin powell bills is because he rises up to the top of an institution, one of the few that had not seemed to be tainted by political partisanship and he rises up and becomes the head of joint chiefs of staff. powell's personality is not a belligerent one, one that we have come to see more and more

in military figures and political figures. powell's activism relative to addressing issues of race. when we think of the conservative african-americans who are around the republican party, the clarence thomas's, candace owens, those types come to mind. there were african-american conservatives who took divisions that were supportive of issues related to the black community and were active supporters of vil rights. powell, that gave him some cashe . he spoke at my graduation, at howard university in 1994, and talk about issues of racism, issues of being socially engaged. you will not find that coming from any of the people we think of as black republicans these days.

that gave colin powell a different kind of public-facing image, which was in conflict with many of the policies and the party that he supported and the administration in which he was involved. juan: i would like to bring in robert lovato. people forget that back in the invasion of panama that that only was -- not only was colin powell a key figure in the secretary of defense at the time was dick cheney. mr. lovato: thank you. the story of colin powell is what i would call a tragic tale of militarism in the service of declining empire. it also previews the age of intersectional empire that

clarence laid out in terms of how race is being deployed by the military stick -- militaristic bipartisan consensus. panama comes about right after the central american engagement in el salvador and guatemala and nicaragua and that was preceded by the vietnam war where you have a decline in the morale and the sensibilities of the u.s. military, having suffered a severe defeat in vietnam. powell was part of a caliber of leaders try to figure out how to create a post vietnam analyst for the u.s. military machine. one thing i want to make clear is that the powell doctrine of overwhelming force, bringing in the public into supporting u.s. war, clearly defined national

security objectives and are still war polici. colin powell's political career was one thing in terms of race and being pro-abortion. inerms of litaries in -- militarism, it was clear. hundreds of people were killed. they are still excavating mass grave sites of the invasion of panama. prior to that, powell was an assistant to the secretary of defense under the reagan administration who was charged with looking over military policy in central america. instead of going into what they called asymmetrical warfare like they did in vietnam, the militarists like colin powell

decided to stray away fromhose kinds of wars and focus on building up to get big state to state military wars. the fights are on false pretenses with a preview in preparation for the state to state war that followed. amy: in that u.s. invasion of panama that he spearheaded, can you talk about who died? we are not just talking about abstract intellectual policy issues. prof. lusane: i actually went to panama. i went with another reporter. we went down after the invasion and it was horrific. there were mass graves. there was total destruction of

neighborhoods. these were poor neighborhoods, we should be clear. ere were wealthy neighborhoods that were surgically missed while they bombed neighborhoods that had not only been active, but had been very much inviting people. powell said nothing about it. there were other military endeavors by the bush administration. powell was solid on the consequences -- silent on the consequences that thousands of people died in a rack and of people died in panama and -- in iraq and panama. amy: and these were heavily black populations. prof. lusane: these were afro panamanians. amy: a little before the

invasion of panama, explain the iran contract deal and the role of general powell at the time. the invasion of panama was under george h w bush and the iran-contra deal was when he was vice president, when it was president ronald reagan, the ultimately illegal deal to sell weapons to iran, take that money, and illegally support the contras, which was against the memo that said the u.s. could not support counterrevolutionaries and nicaragua. >> he was the chief administration advocate. the u.s. sponsored an injured and she -- an insurgency. human rights organizations

around the world have documented 10 thousands of people killed, raped, destroyed and colin powell would go on to say that i have no regrets about my role and that he fought very hard to get support for the contras. how as assistant secretary to weinberger was privy to information about the arms for hostages and giving money to the contras deal, but managed to evade judgment, unlike weinberger, who was indicted and had been condemned, and then pardoned thanks to lobbying by colin powell. poll is skillful not just in terms of helping reengineer the post vietnam military, he has also been skillful at evading political judgment as we saw in

iran-contra. having this idea that the one blot on s record is the lies around iraq is a travesty because he has made a career out of being a good soldier and supporting u.s. mass murder around the world, but evading the credit for it. i will leave it there. juan: i am wondering if you can talk a little bit about his legacy in terms of arming and training the salvadoran army, including his relationship with the president of el salvador in the 1980's. >> powell was one of the reagan administration's point people in central america. as a point person, helping the

salvadoran military dictatorship and the guatemalan and other militaries in the region that were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocents. in thease of guatemala, 200,000 indigenous people. in 1983, powell was part of a fact-finding mission that included dean kirkpatrick and weinberger to confirm the salvadoran military and government were doing the right day. they found that they were doing the right thing and the u.s. should continue heavily funding and training these murderous militaries. he never said anything about the fact that just a year before and a couple of years before the massacre where about 600 people were killed was perpetrated by the salvadoran government.

1000 people were killed, an entire town was wiped out. half of the victims were under the age of 12 and half of those children under age 12 or under the age of six. powell seemed to have amnesia about that, along with abrams, another war criminal. other massacres were completely ignored. we see powell playing a role in central america over the years from the early 1980's all the way until the end of the war. powell was very sophisticated and smart in terms of moving with the times so that at the beginning of the reagan era, he was there. in 1989, we launched an offensive in the capital to basically demonstrate to the u.s. government and the salvadoran government that they could not defeat the guerrillas.

that worked. it was basically -- the offensive showed that the guerrillas were able to enter the capital and fight on their own terms. powell and the bush administration seeing this, pivoted and pushed the salvadoran government to peace. some historians will call powell a peacemaker, almost a liberal. if you are comparing him to alexander hager, then yeah. in the larger scheme of militarism, colin powell was also candor into mass murdering empires. amy: let's go back to colin powell's speec wn he falsely accused iraq of hiding weapons of mass distraction. >> every statement i make is backed up by solid sources.

what we are giving you are faxing conclusions based on solid intelligence. amy: all of general powell's main claims about weapons of mass destruction turned out to be false. at the time, most of the media took him at his word. the invasion of iraq began six weeks after he made his speech at the united nations. he himself recognized it as the final nail in the coffin because he called himself a reluctant warrior. he had dragged his feet on the war and president bush wanted his support to be the voice and face of this war. in 2013, democracynow spoke to colonel wilkinson who served as chief of staff to secretary of state colin powell from 2002 to 2005. he helped prepare the famous speech, which he later announced. walken said -- wilkinson said powell was suspicious and wanted

to delete any ties between al qaeda and saddam hussein. >> as colin powell is getting ready to throw anything out of his presentation that had anything to do with terrorism, that is substantial contacts between baghdad and al qaeda, he was really angry. he took me in a room by myself and literally attacked me over it. i said, let's throw it out. i have as many doubts about it as you do. let's throw it out. we made a decision right there to throw it out. within 30 minutes of the secretary having made that decision and instructed me to do so, george showed up with a bombshell and the bombshell was that a high level al qaeda operative under integration -- interrogation had revealed substantial contacts between al qaeda and baghdad. amy: that was the chief of staff of the former secretary of state

colin powell, army colonel wilkinson. in 2009, they questioned colin powell about the false claims he made during the speech that was based in part on false information provided by prisoners who had been tortured. >> can you talk about the case and the link between torture and the production of torture evidence? >> i've not have any details. >> can you tell us when you learned that some of the evidence you used was based on torture? when did you learn that? >> i don't know that. i do not know what information -- >> your chief of staff has written about this. i would think you would know about it. >> the information i presented to the u.n. was vetted by the cia. they stood behind all of that

information. i do not know that any of them would believe that torture was involved. there was a lot of speculation. i am not aware of that. amy: we are going to give you the final word, clarence lusane. prof. lusane: the thing to remember about that period was the entire global community was against that invasion. when colin powell and the bush administration says they were vetting this information, they were not listening to not only their allies, they were not listening to what the united states was doing and had essentially proven that there were no weapons of mass destruction, but the administration was determined to go and colin powell is seated to that as he would do both prior to that speech at the world

conference against racism when the united states and israel were the only two countries that pulled out, and as he would do another policies by the bush administration until he was finally driven out. there has to be an accounting for that record. there is no way to pretty it up. it was atrocious and hundreds of thousands, some estimates up to one million people died as a result. amy: and there are still thousands of u.s. troops in iraq. i want to thank you for being with us, professor at howard university. and robert lovato, salvadoran american journalist and author of his name more "-- of his mem oir, "on forgettin -- unforg

etting." in a remarkable development, he was alive -- allowed to fly back to new york. stay with us. amy: this is "democracy now!" as we turn to an incredible story. activists blocked the port of miami monday to protest deportations to haiti where

people face extreme economic and political instability. around the same time, jean montrevil, a prominent haitian-american immigrant and activists returned home to new york after he was deported to haiti in 2018 in remarkable development. he was allowed to fly back after receipt -- receiving a 90 day special parole. he faced the double punishment of deportation after he served a heart sentence decades ago at the height of the war on drugs. when he was released from prison in 2000, he reported for years check i with imgration and custs eorcementnd als lpedound e new coition endse churches. jean montril ws first on decracynow in 10 when i tain the devtating earthqua in haitlast year.

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[alause] >> im excited. i'exciteto be wi my faly. the tripas ok. i haveeen sin 4:00 is morni. whole fht has been tbe with myids. i alys wanteto be wi my ki.

and w i have a secdends t be wh them aga -a seco chce to beith them again. amy: jeamontvil being eeted athe airpo with ople holng signs wh his ce on so of those signs a ecial thks forhat yous reunn of fily anduprters ter retuing homeesterday was avoed i2018, th granted -- deported in018, then grant a pare, which is why he iback anhoping t stay f much loer. this excsive, w does it feel in is firstntervi back, w does ieel toe ho?

an:t feelgreat anthank u for hang me. i am verexcited st to be re with kids agn. it has always be about m ki. now, have a condhance to see myids again. i cann tell yohow exced am i am very excited. i am so happy. amy: we are also joined by alina das, loyal and codirector of the immigrant rights clinic at nyu school of law. you have not been home to haiti in 30 years. talk about your plans now. as so many haitians are being deported back to haiti, you have been able to come home. jean: yes. it is hard work. it hurt my heart to see people getting deported back to a country where there is no government, a country being run

by gang members. the united states knows that. they know that haiti does not have a functioning government. everyone is afraid to go back. people cannot eat. people cannot do anything in haiti. it broke my heart just to see the biden government needs to take a second look at the policies. to watch people walk for months just to be here and you still deport them back. it is very heartbroken. they need to take a second look at stop deportations to haiti. you cannot deport people to where there is no government. there is no government in haiti. the country is being run by gang members. gangs are everywhere.

it is terrible. and the government knows that. juan: i want to ask alina das to talk about the campaign to bring jean back, especially the pardon that governor northam gave to him, how that helps, and also to talk about the biden administration's change of policy. the homeland security chief basically directing the activists who are exercising their first amendment rights should not be targeted for deportation. how extensive has that been? alina: thank you for having us. all of these victories are really a signal of how important the work jean has been doing for so long is. he has been organizing the immigrants right movement since

2005. he saw what was happening to him and his family and he realized this was happening to families everywhere and he inspired a movement. when his voice made him a target for deportation in 2018 and he was deported to haiti, that movement was on. he taught us to keep fighting. with his church, with families for freedom, with so many others, we did not give up and we fought until he is here. i cannot believe he is here sitting right next to me in new york. it is everything that jean has a vision for an immigration system, one that protects immigrant voices. we are so grateful to see a change in that policy, to see secretary mayorkas say that immigrants will not be targeted for engaging in first amendment activity, for speaking out about the injustices they see.

what we want to see now is that principle be put into action. jean is here with us. he has been given special parole, but the fight is not over. we have to make sure that jean is with us to stay and that other activists can be rest assured that they can be here and remain with their families and continue to speak out and speak up and protect our rights without fear of deportation. amy: alina, explain the role of the virginia governor, governor northam. alina: governor northam gave us a tremendous gift. he recognized that people deserve second chances. jean: received a deportation -- no light jean received a deportation order. after he served his time and lived his life, raised his family, four children, incredible community, it was

believed then that he faced a second punishment of deportation. we believe in second chances and the pardon, which is something that the governor of virginia granted to jean recognizes that. it gives him an opportunity to get lawful permanent residency back and to be able to live here in this country that is his home with his family. juan: jean, you are pursuing a federal lawsuit against immigration officials for targeting you because they are some reports that as many as 1000 immigrant rights activists have been deported in the past. basically because of speaking out. jean: this was during the trump administration. who were speaking out against ice, a terrible institution. they did not care about families.

they did not care about what you were standing for. the lawsuit alina filed, i want to say a big thank you to alina. she saved my life. i really do not know much. alina: the lawsuit itself is an incredible testament to the voice that jean gave to the movement. he spoke out and we do not believe anyone should be targeted from deportation, to be jailed, expelled from this country because they chose to speak out and educate us about what is really happening in the immigration system. that lawsuit continues to be pending and we are so grateful that people are listening. they are listening to jean. they are willing to stand up to those who have been -- for those who have been targeted for their activism. amy: jean, the old slogan for

your campaign was "bring jean home." monday, they held signs that said "welcome home, jean." today it is, "keep jean home." talk about what is next for immigrants and activists around this country. jean: for immigrants, do not give up. do not be afraid to fight. fight for your kids. fight for what is right. we deserve to be here. america has always been a country of immigrants and nothing has changed. people travel here just to find a better way to support their families back home. there has nothing changed in the immigration world. 200 years ago, it has always

been the same. you move somewhere, usually your country from persecution, from poverty, to find a better way to take care of your family. some people go thrgh 11 untries st to g to th protecve border d then they puthem bacon a pla and say you e not weome here it iracism that is all is. i ink it is time fo t bid adminiration ttake a sond lo. yocannot he peopl suffering antake them ck to country where yoknow the is no government. itreaks my hrt. i hopehe ben admintration really tnks twe. they nd to te a seco look. i ll contie to spe o. amy: we have to leave it there.

again, welcome home jean. that is jean montrevil, haitian immigrant and activists and alina das

>> alright. have a great rest of your day. nhk "newsline." i'm takao minori in new york. north korean leaders are playing out a familiar pattern. they've provoked their neighbors and now they're boasting about it. a newspaper in pyeongyang says a launch on tuesday was a test of a new type of submarine launched ballistic missile. the ruling workers party newspaper reported on wednesday the