Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Migrants Face Tougher Entry Conditions as Title 42 Expires; Pakistan's Supreme Court Rules Arrest of Former PM Unlawful; More Deaths as Rockets Fired Between Israel and Gaza; Close-Up Look at the Journey Aboard the 'Train of Death'; Turkish People to Vote for President on Sunday. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired May 12, 2023 - 00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[00:00:04]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. I mean, Congressman Cuellar from Texas was saying today that everybody applies for asylum, and he was saying a very high number are not actually eligible. So we will see how they deal with that now going forward.

As of right now, it has -- Title 42 has officially expired.

Thank you all for being here tonight. Great to have you. And thanks so much for watching. Our coverage continues now.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Confusion and chaos on the U.S. Southern border as Title 42 expires.

Just in time for Ukraine's major counteroffensive against Russia, long-range cruise missiles from Britain.

And what will Hamas do? The militants who run Gaza sitting on the sidelines as Islamic Jihad and Israel trade blows, leaving dozens dead.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: Great to have you with us.

Just minutes ago, the controversial COVID-era border rule known as Title 42 expired. And with that bringing fears of a surge in illegal border crossings.

Right now, though, for tens of thousands of migrants camped out in border towns and cities, there seems to be a confusion, mixed with desperation, as new rules take effect for those wanting to claim asylum.

Several U.S. cities and counties are asking the federal government to help manage the expected influx. In the past day, authorities have detained a record number of migrants at the Southern border. One official telling CNN that it will get worse.

The Biden administration estimates about 150,000 migrants are waiting in Northern Mexico, including these regions you see here in shelters and camping on the streets. They're also estimating hundreds of thousand migrants are in the pipeline in Southern Mexico and Central American countries.

The head of U.S. Homeland Security says the government has everything it can to prepare and gave this warning for those seeking to enter the United States illegally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: If anyone arrives at our Southern border after midnight tonight, they will be presumed ineligible for asylum and subject to steeper consequences for unlawful entry. I want to be very clear. Our borders are not open.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: At this hour, live in El Paso, Texas, is CNN senior national correspondent Ed Lavandera. Here in Atlanta, also CNN correspondent Rafael Romo.

And Ed, first to you. There has been this expectation, the stroke of midnight would be almost like a starter's gun, even though the Department of Homeland Security tweeted out the U.S. Border is not open to illegal or irregular migration.

And U.S. immigration laws will be tougher as Title 42 public health order ends.

So, what is the latest right now? How is this all playing out of border crossings up and down the U.S.-Mexican border.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, we should kind of set the expectations here that this idea that the clock would strike midnight here in the U.S. And that there would be this rush of migrants racing North to the U.S.-Southern border isn't something that's going to materialize.

In fact, as we sit here in El Paso, I've been speaking with colleagues on the side of the border Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. Very quiet there. In fact a number of people who have been waiting to be processed by Border Patrol agents on -- just on the Southern edge of the border wall that exists here has really dwindled quite a bit.

So we're not seeing any kind of rush like that. So the question really becomes, what is going to happen over the course of the next few days?

We've been getting kind of mixed messages and mixed signals from various officials. As you pointed out in the lead-in, you know, some -- one official from DHS telling CNN that it is going to get worse.

But the head of the Border Patrol -- the Border Patrol chief Raul Ortiz said to reporters today that he believes that the number is not going to reach the 15 to 18,000 migrants being apprehended per day that the Biden administration had been expecting. That number has been around 10,000 a day, which is still an incredibly large number. But not as high as what it was going to be. So the Border Patrol chief here says he believes that many people, the

rush of people we started seeing over the last several days, leading up to this moment. And that's why, perhaps, in the coming days, we might not see as many.

But it is still something that I think what is happening, John, is that on the Southern side of the border, I think you have a lot of migrants who are starting to get a little bit of that information from the DHS secretary. And the way U.S. immigration officials are getting into the United States.

But all of that is mixed in with a great deal of misinformation spread by smugglers and just, you know, people sharing information. So I think what we might see over the next couple of days is a slower process of people trying to figure out what they're going to do, what next up steps they're going to take to try to reach the United States.

So it's not going to be this clear, definitive moment in the timeline, and all these people running -- running North to get into the U.S.

VAUSE: And Rafael, just to you. Another tweet for you, another warning from Homeland Security that was sent out in the last few years: "Title 42 public health order is ending today. DHS will enforce America's tough immigration laws under Title 8 and has announced sweeping changes to reduce irregular migrations."

So what exactly are these sweeping changes? Ed mentioned about this, you know, if you try to cross illegally, you can't come back. There's going to be a five-year ban.

But what else are we looking at here? What else is the Biden administration trying to do here?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, there's been a lot of confusion about what's going to happen and what's not going to happen; and migrants are very confused.

You hit it right there, right on the nail, when you said that it is going to be a five-year punishment. Not being able to return to the United States.

And so that's probably the most draconian aspect of the law, that people are not going to be able to come back. Remember, under Title 42, if they were expelled, it didn't count against a future proceeding, and that's going to go away now.

And we were talking about the numbers, John. And Ed was also saying about the 15,000 estimate that the Biden administration had. But let's remember that only a week ago, we were talking about 7,000 people, and today we're talking about 10,000. So it's still a lot of people that are trying to make it across the border.

And this is because, like I said before, many migrants had this belief that they could just show up at the border and be able to come into the United States. And you have smugglers telling them that it's in their best interest to run to the border, because it will be closed, even though it's a lie, because it was -- wasn't open to begin with.

And those numbers, you just mentioned can also be explained by some of the things that the migrants themselves have told us in the last few weeks. Title 42 or not, they told us, we will try our best to get to the United States.

As well, a migrant told us that for him returning home to Venezuela was not an option. He said, I don't want to live in a dictatorship.

And our reporting from different parts of the border and multiple countries, one thing remains clear. Immigration is not a single country's problem but a regional challenge. And we're looking at what's happening at the border right now, John.

VAUSE: And I guess one of the reasons for a lot of the confusion is that among these changes, which are being put out there by the Biden administration, not just this five-year ban on applying for asylum if you try multiple times or more than once.

There's also part of the provision being struck down, a late-night court ruling by the challenge to, I think, the part of the rules which apply to the release of those who are in custody.

There's also a provision that the Biden administration wants to push through, which if you didn't apply for asylum in a country before you got to Mexico, you'd be kicked out again. That's part off these tough new rules.

But the Trump administration tried all these things, and they were thrown out by the courts. So a lot of these things have been tried before and didn't stick.

LAVANDERA: Yes. And that's kind of highlighting the issue with immigration policy here in the United States. It's just -- it's extremely complex, very difficult to really fully grasp and understand.

And you have many different options and many different scenarios under which people are either processed or not processed, expelled or allowed to stay.

You know, it can get rather -- rather daunting. But to kind of go through some of those that you're -- you're talking about there, the late-night court ruling that you're talking about is a federal judge in Florida that has struck down this plan that the Biden administration had to create this as what is essentially a temporary -- a parole process that would allow some migrants to be released in the United States without the paperwork.

Many of the migrants we meet here have been processed. They've been given paperwork that has a future court date. The DHS secretary said that this was going to be a plan to release some of those under conditions they would have to check in with immigration officials periodically.

But a federal judge has temporarily blocked that. And the reason the Biden administration wanted to use that parole policy is because the border protection -- the Border Patrol scenarios where they were able to house people and process people are as extremely strained at this point. They have 28,000 migrants in custody. That's way beyond capacity. And obviously, the concern about what might be coming in the days ahead.

So they were trying to figure out ways to alleviate that pressure. But, you know, the federal judge blocking that temporarily. So how that will affect with the Biden administration does in the coming days. We don't quite know yet. It really kind of depends on how many people are coming.

But, you know, this kind of just highlights the constant struggle. That is taking place to control this issue.

VAUSE: And Rafael, Border Patrol stations have been told by the Biden administration they should release migrants if facilities which are holding them are 125 percent overcapacity. Well, they're already at that point right now.

[00:10:02]

And Ed mentioned this. Some of the conditions for those who were going to be released, they could can be under a curfew. They couldn't go out between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Someone had to wear an anklet, like a home detention anklet so they could trace their movements. That have stuff.

Clearly, that isn't going to happen. So -- and they're talking about these hundred detention centers that were set to be opened around the country. That hasn't happened either. So what are they going to do?

ROMO: Yes, this situation is so bad, John, that the United States is basically outsourcing its immigration enforcement to other countries, mainly Mexico.

Take, for example, the agreement that was recently reached between Mexico and the United States earlier this month. The White House announced that Mexico had agreed to take back migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela when Title 42 came to an end, meaning tonight.

This is very significant, because this marks the first time the United States will deport non-Mexicans back across the border, and that's not it, John. There are other initiatives announced together with Mexico recently, which includes commitments to increased joint actions targeting human smugglers and traffickers, targeting -- and migrants, both Mexico and the United States are also hoping to -- to better enhance efforts to address the root causes of migration and welcome as many as 100,000 migrants from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador and Central America through a family reunification portal process.

But yes, it is very bad. And that's why the United States is trying to enlist in other countries, including some in Central America to help with this effort to slow down the pace of migrants to the United States, John. VAUSE: Ed, thank you. Ed Lavandera there for us in Atlanta, out in El

Paso, Texas, I should say. Rafael Romo there for us in Atlanta. Thanks to you both. We appreciate it.

Ukraine is trying to keep up the momentum after a military pushback in Bakhmut. A military commander said there's 200 Russian troops have been killed in a counterattack, which they say is still underway.

Independent observers believe Ukraine likely scored marginal gains West and Southwest of the besieged city, despite denials to Moscow. The Ukrainian commander is dismissing a claim by the Wagner boss, Yevgeni Prigozhin, that Russia's regular troops abandoned some of their positions.

The Ukrainian officer says it's Wagner mercenaries who cut and run, leaving regular forces exposed to Ukrainian attacks.

Meantime, President Zelenskyy says only one piece of the puzzle is now missing before Kyiv can begin its expected counteroffensive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Mentally, we're ready. In terms of how motivated our military are, we're ready. In terms of how motivated our military are, we're ready. In terms of enough personnel in our brigades, we're ready. In terms of equipment, not everything has arrived yet. That's my answer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: According to Western officials, Ukrainian forces have started what's known as shaping operations, ahead of a long-awaited major counteroffensive.

Shaping operations are intended to weaken defensive positions, fighting targets like command centers and ammunition depots.

CNN's Jim Sciutto reports for the first time in this conflict. The Ukrainians have now been armed with long-range cruise missiles from the U.K.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Ukrainian forces prepare to launch a massive new counteroffensive, they now have a deadly new weapon in their arsenal.

CNN exclusively first reported that Britain has delivered to Ukraine its advanced Storm Shadow cruise missiles, the kind of long-range capability Kyiv has long been pleading for.

BEN WALLACE, BRITISH DEFENSE SECRETARY: The donation of these weapons systems gives Ukraine the best chance to defend themselves against Russia's continued brutality.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): The Storm Shadow gives Ukrainian forces the ability to strike deep behind Russian lines. A Western official called it a proportionate response to Russia's targeting of civilian infrastructure.

However, Ukrainian forces have pledged to fire the missiles only inside Ukrainian sovereign territory, not to attack Russia itself.

While the U.S. has so far refused to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles, such as the ATACMs, for fear of sparking Russian retaliation, the U.K. has been more forward-leaning with his weapons supplies.

In recent months, the U.K. provided modern Western Challenger 2 tanks, before the U.S. decided to supply its own Abrams tanks.

The Storm Shadow is a cruise missile, typically launched from the air, with stealth capabilities. It has a range in excess of a 155 miles, three times the range of U.S.-provided missiles.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: The Storm Shadow's capabilities are really complementary to what the Ukrainians are planning to do with their spring offensive. It's able to use video imagery to target actual areas that they're going after.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Still, the U.S. secretary of state has said that Ukraine already has what it means to be successful.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: My own estimation is that they have in place, across all of those dimensions, what they need to continue to be successful in regaining territory that was seized by force by Russia over the last 14 months.

[00:15:04]

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the other hand, has said his country is not quite ready, saying he is still waiting for aid already promised.

ZELENSKYY (through translator): We're expecting armored vehicles. They arrive in batches. We can advance with what we've got, and I think we can be successful. But we will lose a lot of people. I think that is unacceptable. We need to wait.

SCIUTTO: U.K. officials have said repeatedly that they consider Crimea Ukrainian sovereign territory, as well, which would put some of Russia's most prized military possessions, including its Black Sea fleet, at potential risk from this new and highly-capable weapons system.

Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: When we come back, more deadly violence in the Middle East. Rockets fired from Gaza. Israel reports its first death. Details on that in a moment. Also, despite a ruling by Pakistan's Supreme Court that the arrest of

Imran Khan was unlawful, the former prime minister has not been released. The very latest, live from Islamabad.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled Thursday the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier this week was unlawful. Khan was transferred to the court's custody, ahead of the hearing in Islamabad, on Friday. The court did not allow him to return home, because of security concerns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROWD SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: For now, there's been no return to the angry demonstrations that rocked Pakistan earlier during the week, which left at least eight people dead, and hundreds under arrest.

CNN producer Sophia Saifi joins us now live from Islamabad.

So, Sophia, what do we know about this latest return to court? And why did they rule that his arrest was unlawful?

SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: John, what's happening today is that Imran Khan has spent the night in the custody of the Supreme Court, like you said, for his own security purposes.

He's going to appear before the Islamabad high court, in order to get bail from the corruption case that led to his arrest by the paramilitary groups by the Islamabad high court.

They said they haven't really given many details of why it was illegal. But they did say that the manner in which Imran Khan was arrested, they had very dramatic footage of paramilitary troops coming in and dragging him into a car, then driving off with him. They didn't respect the sanctity of the court, so Imran Khan is going to go back to Islamabad high court, where he was arrested on Tuesday and then faced the court again and then try to get bail.

Now, if he's released, there is a sense of unease in the country at the moment because of the fact that Imran Khan has actually been incredibly popular. His party has called on his supporters to come out and actually gather in a peaceful gathering in Islamabad.

[00:20:08]

But we have to bear in mind that the army has been called in to keep the peace in the capital, that paramilitary troops positioned all across the city. And there is a state (ph) set, for potential clashes, between these supporters of Imran Khan, as well as with the troops and the police. Meanwhile, overnight, over the past couple of days, very senior

leaders of Imran Khan's political party have been rounded up by the police. And we're talking about the very public basis, right after Imran Khan, the vice chairperson of his party, for example. Spokespeople, media spokespeople of his party. They've all been picked up and re currently in police custody.

The army had come out with a statement on Wednesday night, saying that it will have zero tolerance for any attack, any vandalism of army property, of the houses of army officers.

Pakistan's prime minister is calling Imran Khan's supporters terrorists. And right before Imran Khan was released, Pakistan's information minister had put out a press briefing in which he said that the judges are showing favoritism for Imran Khan and that the country is going to burn if Imran Khan is released.

Now, a lot of legal wars lie ahead. And we'll just have to see how it plays out, after 11 a.m., when Khan makes his court appearance -- John.

VAUSE: Sophia, thank you. CNN producer Sophia Saifi there in Islamabad. We appreciate that.

Well, the death toll is rising in the Middle East, as rocket fire continues between Israel and Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SIRENS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The Israeli Defense Forces said more than 800 rockets have now been fired from Gaza, since Israel launched deadly strikes on Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza on Tuesday.

Israelis say 179 of those rockets were intercepted, and more than 600 falling on Israeli soil. One of them hit an apartment building in the Southern city of Rehovot on Sunday, wounding five people, and killing one.

The first Israeli death since his fires began. Palestinian officials say at least 20 people have died in Gaza, with Israel firing nearly 200 missiles into the area since the start of Operation Shield and Arrow.

Among the dead, four Islamic Jihad leaders, who were killed on Thursday.

Steven Cook is a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. It's good to see you again.

STEVEN COOK, SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Great to be with you.

VAUSE: OK, so, right now both sides seem to be still in the killing stage. Listen to the leader of Islamic Jihad. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAREK SELMI, ISLAMIC JIHAD LEADER (through translator): The Zionist enemy can start the battle, but cannot end it as it pleases.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: In the Middle East, there's never really an agreement on who started what but, with that in mind, here's the Israeli prime minister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Anyone who attacks us, risk their lives. And also, anyone who replaces them. We are in the middle of the campaign, both offensive and defensive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And amid it all, Hamas, which governs Gaza, seems to be sitting on the sidelines. It's called for revenge. It's condemned the targeted killings of three senior Islamic Jihad commanders.

And here's what they find (ph) to begin with. But Islamic Jihad, seems to be the only one firing rockets. So will Hamas sit this one out as it's done before, or will it get involved?

COOK: Well, it really depends on how the battle goes, but certainly, Hamas has an interesting thing on the sidelines. They have voiced their support for the resistance, as they are expected to do, but they certainly can't be too unhappy about the fact that three senior members of Islamic Jihad have been killed by the Israelis.

I think that Hamas also has a compelling interest in trying to keep things quiet, because there's been opposition growing to their rule in the Gaza Strip, as the situation there has deteriorated over the years.

So if the battle doesn't widen, Hamas will continue to sit on the sidelines and work through the Egyptians to try to find some sort of way to de-escalate the situation.

And sort of sitting behind all of this in a way is Iran, where Islamic Jihad is a proxy for Iran. Hamas makes the point, we don't take their orders from Tehran, so what role is Iran now playing in all of this?

COOK: Well, as you point out, Islamic Jihad is a proxy of the Iranians. And Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been rivals in the past.

So I think that what makes this situation more complicated, and the conflict in 2021, is the fact that it's clearly part of the Israel- Iran shuttle war that has been underway in Syria and from time to time in Iraq. Iranians have been very aggressive in the recent weeks in -- in kind

of spinning up its proxies for a battle with the Israelis. And the Israelis want to make sure that they answer decisively against these groups. And this is -- that's part of this operation.

VAUSE: So for an idea of how long this could last, here's the spokesman for the IDF, Israeli Defense Forces.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[00:25:04]

BRIGADIER GENERAL DANIEL HAGAN, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESPERSON: Islamic Jihad inside the Gaza Strip is not the only one that makes the decision. The problem is the ones that make the decisions live in hotels in Beirut and in Syria, and they give directions to the field: keep on fighting, keep on bleeding. We want Gaza bleeding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: In a big way and for the most part, he's right. It's easy to call for blood when you don't have any skin in the game.

COOK: I think that that's right and it's often been the case, not only with Islamic Jihad but also Hamas. I think what the calculation is is that, as this conflict continues, and potentially widens, Israel comes in for an ever greater announce of international criticism and a program, including from - from the United States.

So there's every interest in trying to continue the battle, no matter how many innocents are killed in the process.

VAUSE: And, around the world, there are growing calls for a cease-fire as well as for Israel to try and minimize civilian casualties. Here's the German foreign minister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNALENA BAERBOCK, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER: (through translator): Israel, like every other country in the world, has the right to defend its population against attacks. And at the same time -- and I would like to say this very clearly -- like every other country in the world, it has the duty to protect the civilian population to the best of its ability and to maintain the proportionality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: This is always such a difficult conversation, but who's to blame for dead children when they're being used as human shields?

COOK: Yes. You know, quite clearly, this is an impossible situation for the Israelis. They certainly said that they'd do everything possible to minimize civilian casualties.

Yet, in this densely-populated Gaza Strip, where senior leaders of Islamic Jihad do surround themselves with civilians, the Israelis clearly have come to the conclusion that statements like those of the German foreign minister are just part of the process, and they're willing to pay the price of international criticism if it means taking out high-value targets like the leaders of Islamic Jihad.

VAUSE: That's why we see such high death tolls among children whenever these conflicts take place.

COOK: Sad.

VAUSE: Every single time it's the same. Steven, thanks for -- thanks for being with us.

COOK: Pleasure.

VAUSE: Tens of thousands of migrants, converging on the U.S.-Mexico border as Title 42 comes to an end.

Just ahead here on CNN, CNN's David Culver boards a freight train in Mexico. He speaks with migrants about that dangerous trip.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.

[00:30:03]

About half an hour ago, a key immigration restriction from the COVID- era expired, meaning the U.S. is now bracing for a surge of migrants. It was known as Title 42. It empowered border agents to essentially expel migrants without due process, send them back to the country they came from, to try and prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

That policy no longer in effect. It was allowed to lapse by the Biden administration.

But now it's feared tens of thousands of migrants, massing near the border with Mexico, well, it can lead to chaos.

Homeland Security Secretary says the Biden administration has done all it can to prepare for this moment. But local leaders of the towns and villages and cities where thousands of migrants are now camped out have serious concerns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR VICTOR TREVINO, LAREDO, TEXAS: I am concerned that too many migrants transfers can cause more stress on our already-stressed medical infrastructure. But at this point we're boarding up like if it were a hurricane coming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Many migrants, fleeing Central and South America end up on a freight train called the Train of Death. The journey to the U.S. Border is fraught with danger, despair and, amidst all that, a lot of faith. CNN's David Culver filed this report near the U.S.-Mexico border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We're just outside Ciudad Juarez, and this the last train stop for this freight train that's eventually going to head into the city. And you could see already dozens of migrants in several of these cars. On top of them, all about.

They're asking us if we have water, if we have food.

CULVER (voice-over): We climb on. The train slowly starts up again, heading North. We meet migrants from all over.

CULVER: He says he's from Honduras, originally, and wants to go to the U.S.

CULVER (voice-over): Felipe Marsela (ph) from Colombia also hoping to enter the U.S.

CULVER: I asked her why the U.S.? She said to have a better future.

CULVER (voice-over): Omar from Venezuela --

OMAR, MIGRANT: Baltimore.

CULVER: He's trying to get to Baltimore, Maryland.

CULVER (voice-over): We rode for an hour. They've been on here for days. Twelve days for Roberto and his family.

CULVER: He's with his dad and his sister.

He says they've been attacked. They've been robbed. He describes a really treacherous track.

CULVER (voice-over): Part of the train journey North for some is on what's called, "La Bestia," "The Beast." It's also known as the Train of Death and often controlled by cartels.

Roberto wears a face mask to not infect the others. He tells me he got sick early on in his travels.

CULVER: There's a lot of them have been sick. And over the journey, he's had to leave his two kids, young ones.

CULVER (voice-over): He tells me his two toddlers nearly died so he sent them back with family in Honduras, as he continues on.

They stand, sit and sleep on metal construction beams covered in plastic. Dirty clothes and cardboard, used to make it as comfortable as possible. The heat and sun, brutal. At night, it's the cold and wind.

The smells, a range. Sewage at times. And, burning trash as we drove past what appears to be an incinerator. Their souls, worn down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CULVER: He says it's very dangerous for women, too. And they said food is just really scarce right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CULVER (voice-over): Omar spent four days on board, already. Food has run out. He showed us the little water he has left. And the documents he clings to, keeping secured in plastic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CULVER: He's reading through all the different situations that would allow you to enter the U.S. He's got it printed out. And he's got the address of his friend in Baltimore that he hopes to get to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CULVER: Four days on the train for him. He said, the first day, he almost got really sick because the sun was just so strong. And now, he's making sure to keep covered as much as possible. He wants to go to New York.

CULVER (voice-over): For Omar, it's a familiar journey. He left Venezuela six months ago. Already expelled once from the U.S. for trying to cross, he'll try again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CULVER (voice-over): Legally or illegally, he will cross, he tells me. I asked him if he's hopeful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CULVER (voice-over): "I've got a lot of faith," he tells me.

CULVER: Ultimately, he hopes to get money to send back to his two kids in Venezuela.

CULVER (voice-over): As we pull into Ciudad Juarez, about 25 miles from the border wall with El Paso, we and the others climb out.

CULVER: And that's it. You can see first, everyone now getting off. It's basically the last stop.

CULVER (voice-over): Omar, among the last off, carrying his only belongings and, somehow, a smile.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CULVER (voice-over): Planning to cross immediately.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CULVER (voice-over): CNN's David Culver, reporting from the U.S.- Mexico border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: When we come back, and then there was three. Election day in Turkey, one of the presidential candidates just dropped out. We'll explain why in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Three weeks into the conflict in Sudan, there's no lasting cease-fire, no attempt at calm (ph) either. The warring sides have signed a declaration to commit to the protect the civilians of Sudan.

A U.S. official says the purpose of the agreement is to get humanitarian aid into the country, restore electricity, and water supplies, and bury the dead.

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia, have been mediating talks between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary faction and say cease-fire negotiations could resume in the coming day.

The U.N. human rights commissioner says both sides have, quote, "trampled international humanitarian law." The U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a resolution, Thursday, requesting a comprehensive report on abuses.

This is three weeks now into this conflict.

Just days now before Sunday's vote, the contested highly presidential election in Turkey has lost a candidate. Muharrem Ince saying he does not want people backing him, which would split the opposition vote. That leaves three candidates and one very surprising candidate is been giving the current president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a close race.

Here's CNN's Jomana Karadsheh with details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The sea of supporters rallying around their leader, and never has Recep Tayyip Erdogan needed them more.

It's a razor-thin race, the toughest he's ever faced. And this is the man who may end Erdogan's 20-year grip of power. Kemal Kilicdaroglu often addressing people in these videos from his modest kitchen.

The soft-spoken calm former civil servant is everything Erdogan isn't.

ASLI AYDINTASBAS, VISITING FELLOW, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: I can't imagine two men who would be as opposed as these two. The campaigns are different, too. Erdogan is promising to make Turkey great again.

And, really rolling out these big weapons for Turkey's homegrown defense industry and all of that. And Kilicdaroglu is pledging to be a uniter and the real focus on diversity.

[00:40:07]

Kilicdaroglu's CHP is Turkey's main opposition party. It's never won a presidential election against Erdogan, but this time, he's the candidate of a united opposition, a diverse six-party coalition, of secularist conservatives, defectors from the ruling AK Party and nationalists backed by Kurds.

ZIYA MERAI, SENIOR ASSOCIATE FELLOW, RUSI: This is an exceptional moment where, finally, we have a Turkish opposition that is able to move beyond the limitations of identity politics, which also works to the benefit of President Erdogan. Because you could count on the largest bloc of votes in the Turkish culture war sensitivities. And now they're fragmenting it with a much more inclusive agenda and a vision for the future.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): With campaign videos, promising, quote, "spring will come again," Kilicdaroglu and his coalition are promising to reverse years of one-man rule, with a return to a parliamentary system from a presidential one they say eroded freedoms, hollowed out government institutions, and plunged Turkey into deep economic trouble.

KARADSHEH: For many, this goes beyond campaign promises. It's about moving away from divisive rhetoric. It's about softening positions and a call for unity in this bitterly-polarized country.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): The 74-year-old stunned Turks with this video that's been viewed more than 100 million times.

A call for setting differences aside, and for the first time speaking openly about his Alevi identity, a long-persecuted minority sect.

KEMAL KILICDAROGLU, TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (through translator): We will no longer talk about identities. We will talk about achievements. We will no longer talk about divisions and differences. We will speak of our commonality and our common dreams. Will you join this campaign for this change?

KARADSHEH (voice-over): He's not asking Turks to pick him as the leader. He's asking Turkish citizens to pick a team that will lead Turkey into democracy and economic transition.

AYDINTASBAS: I think there is an overwhelming desire for change in society. That, you can see with young people, women. What we don't know is whether they think this is the time and Kilicdaroglu is the guy.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): And on Sunday, Turks will decide if they're ready for change, if they're ready to end the era of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Adem (ph), Turkey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: John Vause, back at the top of the hour, more CNN NEWSROOM. First, WORLD SPORT starts after the break. I may be here, maybe 18 minutes. See you there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:45:31]

(WORLD SPORT)

[00:57:39]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)