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Border Crisis Temporary Halted by Trump's Executive Order; Hungary Follows U.S.'s Tough Immigration Law; Iranian Minister Upset with U.S.; U.S. Detaining Children At Border; Poverty In The United States; President Trump Signs Order To End His Family Separation Policy; New Zealand's Prime Minister Gives Birth; Childhood, Marriage And Murder. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired June 21, 2018 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, HOST, CNN: Donald Trump retreats from his policy of separating migrant families, but does his executive order fix the problem?
In Hungary, a controversial new law targets undocumented migrants, making it a crime to even help someone claim asylum.
And this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had no idea how I got there. I was still carrying the knife.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Forced into a marriage she did not want. Now sentenced to death for killing her husband, but 19-year-old Noura Hussain is not alone. We speak to another girl with an abusive husband and she's just 11 years old.
Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN Newsroom.
U.S. President Donald Trump is defending his decision to reverse course on separating immigrant children from their parents along the U.S. border with Mexico.
At a campaign rally, the president told supporters he had signed an executive order ending his family separation policy, something he said for days he didn't have the authority to do. But he said he would be just as tough as ever on undocumented immigrants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So the Democrats want open borders, let everybody come in.
(CROWD BOOING) TRUMP: Let everybody pour in, we don't care, let them come in from the Middle East, let them come in from all over the place, we don't care. We're not going to let it happen.
And by the way, today I signed an executive order, we're going to keep families together, but the border is going to be just as tough as it's been.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: It's worth pointing out, the president's executive order does not address what happens to the 2,300 minors already separated from their parents.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny reports from the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're signing an executive order.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump doing what he insisted he could not, stopping the policy of separating migrant families at the U.S. border.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Anybody with a heart would feel very strongly about it. We don't like to see families separated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: In the oval office, the president abruptly changing course. Trying to contain an immigration crisis consuming his administration. He signed an executive order to detain parents and children together, if they illegally cross the U.S. border.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're going to have strong, very strong borders, but we're going to keep the families together. I didn't like the sight or the feeling of families being separated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: But for days, the president and his administration maintained their hands were tied. They said an act of Congress was needed to change a policy roundly criticized for its cruelness.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Can't do it through an executive order.
KIRSTJEN NIELSEN, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Until these loopholes are closed by Congress, it is not possible as a matter of law to detain and remove whole family units who arrive illegally in the United States.
SARAH HUCKABEE-SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It's Congress's job to change the law. We're calling on them to do exactly that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: But the White House caved to worldwide public pressure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, don't you have kids!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: Finally swayed by a near revolt said in the Republican Party.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to try to see that it doesn't continue. We should never play with the lives of these children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: Administration officials told CNN these images from the border and the sounds of wailing children became too much to overcome.
And leverage to push a broader immigration bill faded in the controversy. Sitting at the resolute desk the president seemed to acknowledge that he was buckling to public pressure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're going to have a lot of happy people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: Yet for much of the day, confusion gripped Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PAUL RYAN (R), WISCONSIN, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: We are going to take action to keep families together while we enforce our immigration laws.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: But Speaker Paul Ryan and other republican leaders were caught off guard by the president's suddenly change of heart. By afternoon, they were summoned to the White House. The president made clear it would not entirely erase the zero tolerance policy of separating children and parents at the border, but rather detain migrant families together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We have zero tolerance for people that enter our country illegally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: His words in stark contrast to his fighting mood only hours earlier on Twitter, saying "It's the Democrats' fault, they won't give us the votes needed to pass good legislation." He added, "but I am working on something. It never ends."
Also not ending was the global outrage over separating families at the border, Pope Francis calling it immoral and contrary to our Catholic values. British Prime Minister Theresa May also expressing disgust, saying she intends to raise it when President Trump visits the U.K. next month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The pictures of children appearing to be held in what appear to be cages are deeply disturbing. This is wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:04:58] ZELENY: Corporate America also blasting the administration's policy. Apple's CEO Tim Cook calling it inhumane. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce saying, "This is not who we are, and it must end now."
The political crisis finally reaching a tipping point after a series of grimacing moves by the president's allies. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen heckled while having dinner at a Mexican restaurant near the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CROWD CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski dismissing the plight of children and parents being separated in disappearance on Fox News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COREY LEWANDOWSKI, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: I read today about a 10-year-old girl with Down syndrome who was taken from her mother and put in a cage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whomp, whomp.
LEWANDOWSKI: I read about a -- did you say whomp, whomp to a 10-year- old with a Down syndrome being separated from her mother? How dare you!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What I said is you can take anything you--
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: Appearing on television today, he refused to apologize.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEWANDOWSKI: An apology? When you cross the border illegally, you have committed a crime and there's accountability for committing crimes and there should be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: The president insisting he still plans to push his hard-line immigration proposals and vowed again to build a border wall. But he acknowledged those close to him demanded that he bring this impasse involving children to an end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Ivanka feels very strongly, my wife feels very strongly about it. I feel very strongly about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: Jeff Zeleny, CNN.
CHURCH: CNN's Jeff Zeleny reporting there as you just heard.
So let's take a look at the numbers behind the immigration crisis. The U.S. government says a majority of the children, more than 80 percent arrive at the border with no guardian at all. About 70 percent are boys, almost 30 percent are girls. And more than half of them are either 16 or 17 years old. One percent are infants, 2 years and under. The government says as of this week, 18 percent of all arrivals were separated from their guardians.
CNN's chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin joins me now to talk more about Mr. Trump's new executive order. Good to have you with us.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Hi.
CHURCH: So President Trump signed an executive order that wasn't necessary to end his own administration's policy of separating children from their families. Why did he choose this more complicated avenue, rather than simpler options, and what are the legal ramifications of this?
TOOBIN: Well, the president wanted to do a couple of different things. He wanted to reassert his desire to keep the borders closed, to keep a tough line on immigration, but he wanted to retreat from this propose -- from this policy of separating parents and children, which has drawn such universal condemnation, both in the United States and around the world. This executive order at least purports to do both of those things. Whether it actually does is a separate question.
CHURCH: Yes, this is the issue, isn't it? Now the children will be held with their families, while the parents are prosecuted. How will that work, and what happens to the children if the parents need to be held for more than 20 days?
TOOBIN: Well, and if I may jump ahead to an even simpler question, which is, what happens to the 2,000 children who are already being held pursuant to this policy?
CHURCH: Yes.
TOOBIN: The answer, I don't know.
CHURCH: Yes.
TOOBIN: The order doesn't address that at all. And that question is especially difficult because as I understand it, the record keeping of where these children are, where their parents are, how can they find each other, that is far from clear.
So that issue is, in many respects, the most important, because these kids are already locked up. What happens to them? Now I'm sorry to jump to your question going forward, what happens when parent and children are stopped at the border now?
Well, there is a rule on the books, it's actually a settlement of a case called Flores, which says that children with their parents can only be held for a maximum of 20 days. That the family unit cannot be held for longer than 20 days before they have to be released, in effect, on bail.
So the fact that the children will not be separated is only a 20-day resolution, unless this court ruling is changed. Because at the moment, OK, let's say the government says we're going to keep them together, but under this court ruling, they have to be released after 20 days, so do they release the children by themselves? Creating the problem again, separating the children, or do they release the parents as well, which is inconsistent with the president's hard line? That's not addressed in today's order either.
[03:09:56] CHURCH: Yes. So it certainly gets rid of the difficult optics initially, but let's go back to those 2300 children who have already been separated from their parents. What is the process of getting them reunited with their families? How long could that possibly take?
And what about these babies that we're hearing, I mean, how do they get reunited with their parents, given, you know, most of these young -- any of the kiddies under five probably don't even know the full name of their parents.
TOOBIN: Rosemary, I'm going to say the three words that you're never allowed to say on cable news. Which are, I don't know. I don't know what happens to these 2,300 kids. I don't know how they find their parents. I don't know whether they will be reunited at all.
This is why the president's executive order has been met with something less than acclaim by people who are opposed to this policy, because it doesn't address in many respects the most important issue, which is what happens to these kids who have already been locked up. CHURCH: Yes.
TOOBIN: What happens to them? And will they ever get reunited with their parents? You know, it's one thing to talk about kids who may be arrested in the future and, you know, what the policy is going to be going forward. But we have these kids who are already in custody. And the executive order doesn't address their situation at all.
CHURCH: And not to put you on the spot, but overall, what needs to happen here, to fix the immigration laws in this country?
TOOBIN: Excuse me. That's a pretty tough one. I mean, there certainly has to be -- there is not a good -- it is not a good situation to have people coming across the border illegally in these desert locations. These are incredibly dangerous. The migrants are often exploited by what are known as coyotes. These people who purport to bring them across safely.
There is an important -- enforcement at the border is certainly a part of the story, but as long as people want to come to this country, and as long as there are jobs here, as long as there are opportunities here, and as long as there is terrible crime and corruption in the country south of here, we are going to have this problem.
And you know, walls haven't stopped it, arrests haven't stopped it, the impulse to migrate across borders, as we've seen around the world, is something that governments are almost powerless to stop.
CHURCH: Jeffrey Toobin, we appreciate your legal analysis on these very complicated matters, thank you so much.
TOOBIN: OK.
CHURCH: And it is important to note, many people attempting to cross into the United States are fleeing dire circumstances back in their homelands. The CIA World Fact Book has some alarming statistics. Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America. Widespread gang violence, and under-employment are major problems.
El Salvador has one of the world's highest homicide rates, and widespread criminal gangs. Poor economic conditions and natural disasters have prompted many to flee the country, and in Guatemala, almost half of children under age 5 are chronically malnourished. More than half of the country's population lives in poverty. About one- quarter are in extreme poverty, meaning people survive on less than $1.25 a day.
Now while the U.S. is grappling with its immigration crisis, Hungary is pressing ahead with its own version of zero tolerance. On Wednesday, designated by the U.N. as world refugee day, the Hungarian parliament approved legislation to outlaw aid to migrants and refugees. The new law takes effect in one or two weeks.
And our Atika Shubert joins us from Berlin to talk more about this. How did Hungary get to this point? And how much support is there across the country for harsh new legislation like this? ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think
the first thing to understand is that Hungary -- Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban seems set on dismantling or at least severely crippling a number of the Democratic institutions within his own country. Specifically in this case of the law, civil rights institutions, human rights NGOs.
The law -- what the law does, is it outlaws any organization that helps asylum seekers. Now that means, it could be finding shelter for asylum seekers, it could be giving them any sort of food aid, it could even be helping them fill out an application. That could mean an individual organization that does that, could be, you know, put in prison for helping an asylum seeker.
[03:15:09] Now, you have to understand that Orban has been in power for a number of years now, and he was re-elected in April, campaigning on a vociferously anti-immigration, nationalist platform. And this law which is in Hungary called the stop Soros bill is actually named after the wealthy philanthropist named George Soros.
And the Orban party really sort of propagated this conspiratorial idea that George Soros was behind a master plan to flood the country with dangerous refugees and asylum seekers. Now of course George Soros denied this. There's nothing to indicate that that's true. But it's part of the national narrative that Viktor Orban created in this campaign to get re-elected.
And so this law is an extension of that. How popular is this law? It's hard to say. A lot of the independent media has been under pressure there. There's no really reliable polling we can look at in Hungary.
However, what we do know is that in 2015, when Hungary had hundreds of thousands of refugees coming through, during the refugee crisis, the public was gripped by this fear that had lost control of its borders. And so there was a lot of support to crackdown on immigration.
And now what we've seen is that Prime Minister Orban has been able to capitalize on that and this is where the law is coming into effect now.
CHURCH: And Atika, is this the new trend? Are we going to start seeing more countries moving in this direction?
SHUBERT: Well, you know, Hungary has actually been moving in this direction for some time. After the 2015 refugee crisis, Hungary threw up a big wall, effectively sealed off the border, stopping any asylum seekers from coming through.
So what's been happening in Hungary isn't necessarily new. It's just a further crackdown. Whether or not we'll see this in other E.U. countries, seems unlikely. Hungary seems to be in violation of E.U. human rights laws bypassing this law, so I think we can expect some legal challenges.
Having said that, we see far-right parties in Germany, in Austria, for example, asking for much tougher measures to reduce migration, and to seal off borders to asylum seekers. So I think we're likely to see more demands, but we may not see the kinds of legislation that Orban has been able to put into effect.
CHURCH: All right, many thanks to our Atika Shubert, joining us there live from Berlin, where it is nearly 9.20 in the morning. We appreciate that.
Well, some happy news from New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has given birth to a baby girl. The 37-year-old leader delivered a child weighing 3.31 kilograms. The prime minister posted this message about her new daughter. She wrote, "Welcome to our village, wee one." And everyone she says, "Thank you so much for your best wishes and your kindness. We are all doing really well. Thanks to the wonderful team at Auckland City Hospital."
Mrs. Ardern announced her pregnancy in January. The last world leader to give birth while in office was Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Twitter users point out the baby now has the same birthday as Benazir Bhutto.
We'll take a short break here. Coming up, OPEC oil ministers to decide this week whether to boost oil production. It won't be an easy call, though. And Canada goes to pot, no joke, it's becoming the second country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana.
Plus, a fascinating sub plot of the World Cup, the continuing rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. We'll have the details for you after this short break. Stay with us.
[03:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: OPEC oil ministers have a tough decision to make at their meeting on Friday in Vienna. Should they boost oil production or not?
CNN money's John Defterios has more on the dilemma and the view of one of its controversial members.
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: For 18 months, the major oil producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia took oil off the market to lift prices. Now they have the tricky game of trying to put it back on to stabilize the price of oil. And there is some resistance from other members of OPEC like Iran. I sat down with the Iranian oil minister Bijan Zangeneh who doesn't like U.S. intervention.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BIJAN ZANGENEH, IRANIAN OIL MINISTER: This will change the situation in the market, and the high price is not because of the rebalance between mainly, rebalance production, supply, and demand.
This situation and the high price caused by the action of President Trump and U.S. administration. After the speech of President Trump in 8 May 2018, and withdrawal of U.S. from the nuclear deal with Iran, the price jumped $6 during one week.
It means the tension, the political tension in the region and the uncertainty in the market created by the political action from U.S. side.
DEFTERIOS: So you could have a solution by the end of business Friday and Saturday which says, let's go to a hundred percent compliance. There's no reason for arguments, no reason to start a new agreement, this could be the big compromise?
ZANGENEH: Yes, can be.
DEFTERIOS: How many barrels does that put back onto the market?
ZANGENEH: Depends on the discussion.
DEFTERIOS: But flexibility of 300,000 to 500,000 barrels a day might solve the problem.
ZANGENEH: Maybe.
DEFTERIOS: You're exporting now about 2.8 million barrels a day. I've read surveys that shows because of U.S. secondary sanctions, that could drop 300,000 to 500,000 barrels a day by the end of 2018. Do you think they'll hit that hard against Iran?
ZANGENEH: We try to preserve the level of our export. But how, I cannot say anything more because OPEC and U.S. administration attack against our partners.
DEFTERIOS: But can you preserve those?
ZANGENEH: We try to.
DEFTERIOS: Is the president trying to undo the work of Mr. Obama and his agreement with Iran? Or is he targeting specifically Iran in your view? What's the motivation?
ZANGENEH: I think both.
DEFTERIOS: Are they seeking regime change? That's one view of the more conservative arm of the Republican Party. Is that the ultimate motivation, and can they succeed?
ZANGENEH: I think it is the biggest mistake that they have done. Mr. Trump and some others are saying so. They think they can change the regime in Iran. Very soon, very soon, without resistance, they will understand it's impossible.
DEFTERIOS: Why do you say that? That it's impossible?
ZANGENEH: Iranian people may have some difficulty, even by our administration, but they won't change the regime. They may have complain about some things, but they don't want to change everything. It's impossible. They will understand it very soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[03:25:10] DEFTERIOS: Bijan Zangeneh of Iran looking at a potential compromise when it comes to the OPEC, not OPEC agreement, but clearly doesn't like the U.S. intervention when it comes to the OPEC organization or internal affairs back home.
John Defterios, CNN Money, Vienna.
CHURCH: All right, this is Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo at the World Cup scoring his 85th goal for his country, breaking the European record and helping his team defeat Morocco. The World Cup is the only major trophy to elude him and he's determined to win it with Portugal this year.
Well, Uruguay and Russia are also celebrating victories at the World Cup, while Egypt and Saudi Arabia are eliminated. World sport's Kate Riley joins us now to talk more about this, of course we want to talk about that and the highlights. But Ronaldo, what about that?
KATE RILEY, CNN SPORT ANCHOR: I know. The story of the day.
CHURCH: Yes.
RILES: We can't get enough of it, right? It is a truly amazing story. And you're not wrong, Cristiano Ronaldo, his trophy case is jam- packed, and includes five Champions League titles, the European championship, three English championships, and even two Spanish league titles.
But it's actually the World Cup trophy which hasn't been in his trophy cabinet ever. So he's determined more than ever to win it with Portugal this time around. Not only that, he's in a hurry to win the golden boot as well, after his second game on Wednesday.
He's the tournament's top scorer now at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium, where he incidentally helped to win the champions league with Manchester United a decade ago, they were still taking their seats when CR-7 launched himself at goal heading home for Portugal after only four minutes.
It means that Ronaldo has now scored the two fastest goals at this tournament. He also struck after four minutes against Spain, and now leads the tournament with four goals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRISTIANO RONALDO, PORTUGUESE FOOTBALLER (through translator): The most important thing was to win the game and to get the three points, because we know that if we lost, we could have been out. We knew that Morocco would be trying very hard. It was a surprise because they really got the start. They were really going through a lot of moves, and they were very strong. I managed to strike a goal and to make those three points, so I'm very happy and it was beautiful to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RILEY: Well, elsewhere in group b, another tight game between Spain and Iran in Kazan, Spain won the game but they were in forgiving mood before kickoff. This is our favorite clip of the day, Rosemary, you'll like this. Gerard Pique trying to move a little bird out of the way before the action started. There was only one goal in this one. Diego Costa scored it. He did all the hard work. It ricocheted off his leg. Costa now has three goals in the tournament.
Iran, though, they had one hair of bench-clearing moment of jubilation, but suddenly for them, it wasn't to be correctly ruled out for off-side with confirmation coming from the VAR, Video Assistant Referee. That's all she wrote, but the highlight was this attempted throw-in from Elmohamady. This is hilarious, Rosemary. It looked as though it was going to be spectacular, but in the end, nope, it was just a throw-in. One-nil to Spain, both teams are still in the tournament.
CHURCH: Wow.
RILEY: All right, look at these scenes. Disappointing for Iran, but their fans were happy. Check out these pictures from a watch party back in Iran. You might not think it's remarkable, but remember that women have been banned from watching football here for decades. But they were allowed in earlier. They had a blast. It remains to be seen if the ban has been permanently lifted, though.
CHURCH: Wow. Now looking ahead, because we want to see the matches, the favorites, what should we be looking for?
RILEY: From Cristiano Ronaldo to Messi, another global superstar, two teams that have won the World Cup in the past, take center stage on Thursday, as both France and Argentina will play their second game of this World Cup.
In group c, Denmark who beat Peru in their opener, will take on your team, Rosemary, Australia. The blue will take on Peru, knowing that a win can pretty much assure them a spot in the knockout round while one game in group d as Argentina take on Croatia.
Argentina is one of those teams who overly rely on just one player, and in the case of Lionel Messi, of course there's added pressure of this tournament for defining his legacy. That has been a constant refrain for many years. Messi had a very frustrating game against Iceland at the weekend, he had 11 shots on goal, only three on target, and of course he had the penalty save. So, lots to look forward to.
[03:30:01] CHURCH: Yes, absolutely. Great stuff. And very exciting World Cup.
RILEY: Yes, great story lines.
[03:30:00]
CHURCH: All right, Kate Riley, always a pleasure. Thanks so much. I appreciate it.
RILEY: Thank you very much.
CHURCH: And coming up after the short break, the smallest children taken from their families, housed in U.S. Detention Centers, and no one seems to have a clue what should be done with them.
And a U.N. report finds a shocking reality behind the American dream. We'll explain when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: A very warm welcome back to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. I want to update you now on the main stories we have been following this hour.
The President of Indonesia is expressing sorrow over the ferry disaster that has claimed 192 lives. Joko Widodo has ordered an investigation into the accident on Lake Toba. The boat was swamped by high waves and it was reportedly overloaded with passengers. Both are believed to be factors that may have led to its sinking.
In Hungary, it will soon be illegal to render aid to undocumented migrants. The Hungarian parliament easily passed legislation on Wednesday to outlaw some basic human rights activity, such as helping someone fill out paperwork. Amnesty International called it a new law, noting the measure was passed on World Refugee Day.
A new executive order from Donald Trump aims to keep undocumented immigrant children with their parents. The President reversed his own policy of separating the families after days of growing pressure, but he says the immigration system as a whole needs an overhaul.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's been going on for 60 years. 60 years. Nobody's taken care of it. Nobody's had the political courage to take care of it. But we're going to take care of it. It's been going on for a long time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well, despite President Trump's order to stop taking children away from their families at the southern U.S. border, more than 2,000 minors have already been swallowed up by the federal immigration system. For now, the youngest are detained at three so-called tender age detention centers in southern Texas. A fourth facility is being planned in Houston. What happens next for them is not quite clear. We get more now from CNN's Polo Sandoval.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a detention facility for the youngest immigrant children being held against their will in a U.S. city. It's a non-descript former private home of the tiny Texas town of Combs, 20 miles from the U.S./Mexico border. From outside, these black strollers and a small outdoor playground, are the only signs of some 60 children ranging in age from infant to 10 years old, housed inside.
[03:35:09] Some may have been forcibly separated from their parents after crossing into the country illegally. The U.S. government calls it a tender age facility, one of at least three in Texas alone. The CEO of Southwest Key, the company that operates the center and others offered his own description. JUAN SANCHEZ, CEO, SOUTHWEST KEY: I want to make it very clear, that
this is not a detention center. We have a license by the state of Texas to run a child-care facility. And what we run is a child-care facility.
SANDOVAL: CNN and other media outlets have not been allowed to bring cameras inside any of the facilities currently housing minors separated from their families. The government has only given this video and some photos showing families behind chained link cages resting on green sleeping pads and wrapped in Mylar blankets. None of the government hand-out materials show girls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've only seen the boys.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will look into that. I am not aware that there is another picture.
SANDERS: CNN spoke to Democratic Texas Congressman Filemon Vela who got a rare glimpse inside one of these centers.
REP. FILEMON VELA, (D), TEXAS: The idea that you could walk into a facility like this one and see children at the age of 8 months or 1 year who have been taken from their parents and the idea that it's the American government in the year 2018, holding them hostage for whatever ambitions the President may have, it's just abhorrent.
SANDOVAL: Now as President Trump signs an executive order to keep detained families together, the question is, what's next for those who have already been torn apart? Texas attorney, Thelma Garcia represents parents separated from their children.
THELMA GARCIA, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: All they do is cry. Because no one has contact with their children.
SANDOVAL: Heart-broken children charged under the President's zero- tolerance policy are making up more of Garcia's case load these days.
GARCIA: Before, they would be placed in family facilities, where you would have the mothers or the fathers with the children. Now, as far as I know, those facilities don't exist. So where are you going to reunite them? It's going to be anywhere from a month to two months minimum for them to go through a process.
SANDOVAL: Before they can hold their child again?
GARCIA: Yes.
SANDOVAL: Paolo Sandoval, CNN, Combs, Texas.
(END VIDEO)
CHURCH: A shocking report on poverty in the United States will be presented to the U.N. Human Rights Council later Thursday. It comes just days after the U.S. withdrew from the council. The report found about 40 million people are living in poverty. That is more than 12 percent of the U.S. population and nearly a third of them, 32 percent, are children.
The report also says the U.S. has the highest rate of income inequality among all western countries. Where those numbers become real is in America's small towns and rural communities, but also in major cities. Lynda Kinkade went out on the streets of Atlanta to talk with Americans who are working, but still struggle every day for food, health care, and other basic human needs. All in the wealthiest country on earth.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are people out on the streets, and one of the wealthiest nations on the planet, you know, that are struggling for meals, for shelter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Things are tight right now. It is high everywhere.
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Had you ever been homeless before?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never, ever.
KINKADE: These are America's working poor. Earning so little they can't afford a home. Not even one for rent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, you might work today, might not tomorrow. Which puts you in a bind, because you want to make it like 40 to 50, maybe $60 a day.
KINKADE: How much were you earning an hour?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More like 8 bucks an hour.
KINKADE: And you're 30?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 38.
KINKADE: 38?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, ma'am.
KINKADE: Maurdeen works several jobs in catering and cleaning, but most businesses won't give her more than 30 hours a week to avoid paying health care. She is been homeless 18 months.
So do you ever feel vulnerable when you're living on the streets?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You really cannot rest.
KINKADE: You can't relax?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. You're.
KINKADE: You're on edge?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am. KINKADE: John Bobbitt used to own his own maintenance business.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had four people working for me.
KINKADE: Today, he is making grilled cheese sandwiches at Safe House Outreach in Atlanta. Losing everything in New Orleans when hurricane Katrina hit forced him on the streets for the best part of a decade.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You may not take a shower for two or three days. I wouldn't hire myself looking like that. I never was really religious, but I started praying to god at that point.
KINKADE: He decided to start walking, New Orleans to Atlanta, over 700 kilometers in 32 days. Safe House Outreach helped him find a full-time job, but he was jobless after just 18 months due to illness. Now he oversees the kitchen here which serves hundreds of meals a day to the homeless.
[03:40:08] Should we take this down?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
KINKADE: The official unemployment rate might be at record lows, but Safe House Outreach says, they've seen an increase in the number of under-employed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In a given year, we'll see about 4,000 people.
KINKADE: This is the report being presented to the United Nations, it finds if you are one of the 40 million Americans living in poverty, you're likely to stay that way. The American dream, it says, is rapidly becoming an American illusion.
Across the U.S., people working for tips can often earn as little as $2.13 an hour. And have to make up the rest in tips just to meet the federal minimum wage of $7.25.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're not livable wages. These are little tokens that they're throwing. These are the crumbs from your table.
KINKADE: Nolan English is the Director of the outreach program.
NOLAN ENGLISH, DIRECTOR, OUTREACH PROGRAM: At least 40 percent of the people that we serve are working, holding down two or three jobs.
KINKADE: Around the clock, seven days a week, they send out teams to talk with people who are struggling, living below the poverty line. One man living in a park started convulsing in front of us. Had Nolan not been there to call paramedics, the situation could have been far more dire. The U.N. Report found unlike other wealthy nations, the U.S. has neglected its signed international agreements which state that access to health care and food are basic human rights.
ENGLISH: The only thing that can be done with this current administration would have to be a total change of heart.
KINKADE: Lynda Kinkade, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEO)
CHURCH: All right, let's turn to some happy news now, to report out of New Zealand, where the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern has just given birth to a baby girl. TV New Zealand reporter, Paul Hobbs joins us now from outside the hospital where the Prime Minister delivered her new daughter. Good to see you, Paul. How's this happy news being received across the country?
PAUL HOBBS, REPORTER, TV NEW ZEALAND: Well, Rosemary, New Zealand and the New Zealand media have been waiting expectantly all day today and our patience was rewarded at 4:45 p.m. Local Time, when she gave birth to that little girl, weighing 3.31 kilograms, for those who are very interested, but we got no name yet. But we're told that both mother and daughter are happy and healthy.
And look, social media has been lighting up with well wishes. Among those, the former New Zealand Prime Minister and former U.N. head of the development program, Helen Clark, who has sent her best wishes to Jacinda Ardern and her partner, Clarke Gayford, on the new bundle of joy? And has also praised Jacinda Arden for her being a positive role model for women, as she is decided of course to continue her work as Prime Minister after taking just six weeks off. She will take six weeks off in the meantime, but she is praised to be a working mom.
CHURCH: All right. Six weeks off as the Prime Minister. So what happens while she is away? Who will be filling her shoes?
HOBBS: Well, you'll know that New Zealand is a coalition government, and her Coalition Partner -- Coalition Party is New Zealand first, and the leader of that Party, Winston Peters, is taking over. In fact when Jacinda Ardern came into hospital this morning, he immediately took over as the interim and acting Prime Minister. So they're going to be in contact. I believe there will be phone calls. We already know Jacinda Ardern has taken a lot of paperwork home. She'll be taking phone calls and getting briefings, but it will all be from home. In the meantime, Winston Peters will be the front and center acting Prime Minister.
So, you know, six weeks, a little bit of a change-up here for New Zealand, but, you know, New Zealand will be thrilled with this. This will be splashed across our morning papers when we see Jacinda Ardern and we're looking forward to seeing the little baby in the flesh, hopefully tomorrow midafternoon.
CHURCH: Yes, very good news. She is going to be very busy for those six weeks with the baby and I suspect she is going to be doing a lot of hard work at home as well, but thank you so much, Paul Hobbs bringing us up to date on the situation there in New Zealand. I appreciate it.
Well, Britain's Prime Minister, gets a much needed win. Crucial vote in parliament on Brexit, we'll have that for you. And this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I told him, I don't want to marry, I want to
study. I was in the eighth grade.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: A CNN exclusive report shines a spotlight on victims of child marriage, and laws that allow marital rape and empower abusers. The heart-wrenching stories of two young girls fighting the system. We'll have that for you next on CNN Newsroom.
[03:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: The world watched in horror earlier this year when Sudanese, teenager Noura Hussein was sentenced to death for killing her husband, who she claims raped her. Activists say there are many cases similar to Noura's in Sudan and they are working to combat the violence and change laws that had empower abuses. In an exclusive reporting, CNN's Nima Elbagir uncovers more of Noura's story and also speaks to an 11- year-old girl fighting to escape her husband's brutality.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had no idea how I got there. I was still carrying the knife. He told my parents that he wanted to marry me. The first time I even saw him was a week after he proposed marriage to my uncle. I told him, I don't want to marry. I want to study. I want in the eighth grade. And they fooled me.
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These are the words of Sudanese teenage Noura Hussein. For her safety, this is not her voice, but it is Noura's story in her own words.
NOURA HUSSEIN, VICTIM: They did all the usual rituals for the wedding. I was overwhelmed with anger. I didn't want this man. I sat in the hairdresser's, contemplating suicide.
ELBAGIR: This is Noura on her wedding day. Noura is on death row, convicted of the murder of her 35 year-old husband. Noura's case has caused controversy across Sudan, a controversy the government has refuse to comment on. Noura's husband's family has, we're told by activists, threatened violence against her supporters. They also refused CNN's request for comment.
The badly kept secret here is that more than a third of marriages in Sudan are child marriages. A number that is rising. Aggravated by the financial realities in Sudan, and a law that sets the legal age of marriage at 10, but some brave little girls are choosing to speak out.
This is Amal's story and Amal's own voice. For her safety, we're not showing her face. Amal is seeking a divorce from her abusive husband.
[03:50:00] (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
ELBAGIR: When it's all over, Amal wants to be a doctor. Beside her, her father wipes away tears. Unlike Noura, Amal's father is here in support of her. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
ELBAGIR: Her father promises only to think harder the next time a proposal for marriage comes to his under-age daughter. (Inaudible) office rules are adorn with arts and rescue child victims. Her center (inaudible) is one of the organizations fighting on Noura's behalf. It works to combat violence against women and forced marriage, in spite of a regular diet of threats.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We arrived at the honeymoon flat. I locked myself inside one of the rooms. I refused to eat. I refused to leave my room. On the ninth day, his relatives came. His uncle told me to go to the bedroom. I said no. So he dragged me by my arm into the bedroom. All of them tore at my clothing. His uncle held me down by my legs and each of the other two held down my arm. He stripped and had me while I wept and screamed. I was bleeding. I slept naked.
ELBAGIR: A familiar childhood ritual, part and parcel of growing up. Women and girls across Sudan are fighting for the right to a childhood. Against laws that legalize child marriage, laws that don't recognize marital rape, laws that empower their abusers. Noura still had the knife in her hands when she fled to her parent's home. It was her own father who handed her to the police. And it's there that she learned that she'd killed her husband. She is now awaiting the results of her appeal. Nima Elbagir, CNN, Sudan.
(END VIDEO)
CHURCH: And you can hear from Nima about her exclusive reporting in that piece coming up later today on CNN talk. That is at noon in London, 7:00 p.m. in Hong Kong, only here on CNN. We are back with more news after the short break.
[03:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. A crucial victory for Britain's Prime Minister and her mission to keep Brexit on track. The House of Lords agreed to the withdrawal bill which repeals the law that allowed the U.K. to join the European bloc in 1973. Some lawmakers wanted a final say on the deal. Instead, they accepted her promise of a meaningful say in negotiations. Pro-European lawmaker, Dominique Grieve, originally argued parliament wasn't given enough control, but he then reversed himself, he complained about the tone of the debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOMINIC GRIEVE, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE, MP: We do face some real difficulties at the moment. It's rightly said those who the gods want to destroy, they first render mad. And I have to say, there's enough madness around at the moment. To make one start to question whether collective sanity in this country has disappeared.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Six conservative members of parliament voted against the
bills and more battles are expected over future trade and customs arrangements. The U.K. is due to exit the E.U. next March 29th.
Well, Canada will soon be just the second country in the world, after Uruguay and the first major economy to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, said it will be legal as of October 17th. The Senate passed the legislation on Tuesday. Mr. Trudeau's liberals made legalization a campaign issue in 2015.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, PRIME MINISTER, CANADA: Parliament has now passed bill C-45, which will legalize and strictly regulate access to cannabis. We will soon have a new system in place, one that keeps cannabis out of the hands of our kids, and keeps profits away from organized crime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And just in case you wanted to know, adults of legal age, either 18 or 19, depending on their province, will be able to carry and share up to 30 grams of pot in public. They will also be allowed to grow up to four plants at home. Consumers are expected to buy marijuana from retailers regulated by provinces, territories, or federally licensed producers.
And thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me any time on Twitter. The news continues now with Hannah Vaughan Jones in London. You're watching CNN. Have a great day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
