PBS NewsHour Weekend; PBS NewsHour Weekend : KQED : November 8, 2014 5:30pm-6:01pm PST

Captioning sponsored by WNET

>> Sreenivasan: ON THIS EDITION FOR SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8: TWO AMERICANS ARE FREED FROM CAPTIVITY IN NORTH KOREA; WHAT THE PRESIDENT'S DECISION TO SEND ANOTHER 1,500 MILITARY ADVISORS TO IRAQ MEANS IN THE WAR AGAINST ISIS-- A TOP MILITARY EXPERT WEIGHS IN; AND IN OUR SIGNATURE SEGMENT, THE UNTOLD STORY BEHIND LAST SUMMER'S SURGE IN ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION-- HOW AN ACT OF CONGRESS IN THE '90s MAY HAVE LED TO VIOLENCE THAT FUELED THE EXODUS.

>> PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND IS MADE POSSIBLE BY: CORPORATE FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY MUTUAL OF AMERICA-- DESIGNING CUSTOMIZED INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP RETIREMENT PRODUCTS. THAT'S WHY WE ARE YOUR RETIREMENT COMPANY. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT IS PROVIDED BY: AND BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU. THANK YOU. FROM THE TISCH WNET STUDIOS IN LINCOLN CENTER IN NEW YORK, HARI SREENIVASAN.

>> Sreenivasan: GOOD EVENING. THANKS FOR JOINING US. TWO AMERICANS HELD CAPTIVE IN NORTH KOREA HAVE BEEN SET FREE AND ARE ON THEIR WAY HOME. KENNETH BAE OF WASHINGTON STATE HAD BEEN HELD SINCE THE FALL OF 2012. LAST YEAR, HE WAS SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS HARD LABOR FOR WHAT NORTH KOREA DESCRIBED AS A CHRISTIAN PLOT TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT. MATTHEW TODD MILLER OF CALIFORNIA WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY LAST SPRING AND REPORTEDLY HAD BEEN SENTENCED TO SIX YEARS OF HARD LABOR. BOTH MEN WERE ACCOMPANIED HOME BY JAMES CLAPPER, THE U.S. DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE. DAYS AGO, NORTH KOREA REPORTEDLY SECRETLY ASKED THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO SEND AN ENVOY TO PYONGYANG TO DISCUSS THE CAPTIVES' RELEASE. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY INSISTED TODAY THAT ANY POSSIBLE COOPERATION BETWEEN IRAN AND THE UNITED STATES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ISIS WOULD NOT INFLUENCE NEGOTIATIONS TO CURB IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM.

>> THERE IS NO LINKAGE WHATSOEVER OF THE NUCLEAR DISCUSSIONS WITH ANY OTHER ISSUE, AND I WANT TO MAKE THAT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR. THE NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS ARE ON THEIR OWN. THEY ARE STANDING SEPARATE FROM ANYTHING ELSE, AND NO DISCUSSION HAS EVER TAKEN PLACE ABOUT LINKING ONE THING TO ANOTHER, ONE INVOLVEMENT WITH ANOTHER.

>> Sreenivasan: THE "WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTED THURSDAY THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA HAD WRITTEN IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER, AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMANEI, LAST MONTH SEEKING HIS COOPERATION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ISIS. KERRY MEETS TOMORROW WITH IRAN'S FOREIGN MINISTER. THE DEADLINE FOR A COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR DEAL BETWEEN IRAN AND THE WEST IS NOVEMBER 24. A TOP EUROPEAN UNION OFFICIAL TODAY CALLED FOR THE IMMEDIATE CREATION OF A SEPARATE PALESTINIAN STATE TO END THE PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI CONFLICT. THE E.U.'S NEW FOREIGN AFFAIRS CHIEF, FEDERICA MOGHERINI, COMMENTED DURING A VISIT TO THE GAZA STRIP.

>> WE ARE ASKING ALL IN THIS MOMENT-- NOT IN THREE MONTHS, NOT IN SIX MONTHS, NOT IN ONE YEAR-- ALL IN THIS MOMENT TO RESTART A POLITICAL PROCESS THAT CAN LEAD TO THE TWO-STATE SOLUTION.

>> Sreenivasan: TODAY'S NEWS COINCIDES WITH REPORTS THAT SEVERAL EUROPEAN NATIONS ARE CONSIDERING UNILATERALLY RECOGNIZING A PALESTINIAN STATE, JUST AS SWEDEN DID LAST MONTH. AUTHORITIES IN MEXICO NOW BELIEVE THEY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE 43 STUDENTS WHO WENT MISSING IN SEPTEMBER. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE THERE SAYS ARRESTED GANG MEMBERS HAVE CONFESSED TO KILLING THE STUDENTS AND THEN BURNING THEIR BODIES. REMAINS HAVE BEEN FOUND AND ARE BEING TESTED. FEDERAL MEXICAN AUTHORITIES THEORIZE THAT CORRUPT LOCAL OFFICIALS HAD CONSPIRED WITH DRUG GANGS TO HAVE THE STUDENTS KILLED. A POSSIBLE STEP FORWARD FOR WOMEN IN SAUDI ARABIA. ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, A HIGH-LEVEL ADVISORY PANEL TO THE KING HAS RECOMMENDED THAT DRIVING RESTRICTIONS ON WOMEN BE EASED. UNDER THE PLAN, WOMEN OLDER THAN 30 WOULD BE ALLOWED TO DRIVE UNTIL 8:00 AT NIGHT AS LONG AS THEY WEAR CONSERVATIVE OUTFITS AND NO MAKEUP. THEY WOULD ALSO NEED PERMISSION FROM A MALE RELATIVE. SOME SAUDI MEDIA DISPUTED THE ACCOUNT. THE PRESIDENT MADE IT OFFICIAL TODAY. HE IS NOMINATING LORETTA LYNCH TO BECOME THE NEXT ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES. SHE IS A 55-YEAR-OLD FEDERAL PROSECUTOR IN NEW YORK.

>> I WILL WORK EVERYDAY TO SAFEGUARD OUR CITIZENS, OUR LIBERTIES, OUR RIGHTS, AND THIS GREAT NATION, WHICH HAS GIVEN SO MUCH TO ME AND MY FAMILY.

>> Sreenivasan: IF CONFIRMED BY THE U.S. SENATE, SHE WOULD BECOME THE NATION'S FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN TO HOLD THE POST. STILL ANOTHER STUDENT HAS DIED IN THE AFTERMATH OF THAT SCHOOL CAFETERIA SHOOTING NORTH OF SEATTLE TWO WEEKS AGO. THE LATEST VICTIM IS 15-YEAR-OLD ANDREW FRYBERG. HIS COUSIN, JAYLEN FRYBERG, WAS THE SHOOTER. THREE 14-YEAR-OLDS WERE ALSO KILLED IN THE ATTACK. WORD OF A NEW TOOL TO FIGHT THE HARASSMENT OF WOMEN ONLINE. TWITTER IS TEAMING UP WITH A WOMEN'S ADVOCACY GROUP TO HELP USERS REPORT AND IDENTIFY ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR ON THE ONLINE PLATFORM IN THE HOPES OF RESOLVING IT WITHIN 24 HOURS. THE COMPANY HAD BEEN CRITICIZED FOR NOT RESPONDING AGGRESSIVELY ENOUGH TO ONLINE ABUSE CLAIMS. AND SOME NEW, MORE DIVERSE FACES MIGHT SOON BE USED FOR THOSE EMOJI SYMBOLS THAT YOU PROBABLY HAVE SEEN OR USED ON YOUR SMART PHONE. THIS IS WHAT A FACE LOOKS LIKE TODAY, BUT THIS IS WHAT ENGINEERS SAY THEY COULD LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE. THE NEW SKIN TONES COULD BE ROLLED OUT BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT YEAR. AND A NEW MEASURE OF WEALTH INEQUALITY HAS BEEN RELEASED. THE CHARITY, OXFAM, SAYS THE 85 RICHEST PEOPLE ON EARTH TOGETHER HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY AS THE POOREST 3.5 BILLION PEOPLE. THE GROUP SAYS THE NUMBER OF BILLIONAIRES HAS DOUBLED IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS, A PERIOD IT SAYS THAT HAS BEEN MARKED BY AN EXPLOSION IN INEQUALITY.

>> Sreenivasan: IN IRAQ, A SUICIDE BOMBER ATTACKED A POLICE CONVOY, KILLING EIGHT PEOPLE, INCLUDING A SENIOR OFFICER. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED IN THE CITY OF BEIJI, THE SITE OF THE NATION'S LARGEST OIL REFINERY, APPROXIMATELY 150 MILES NORTH OF BAGHDAD. GOVERNMENT FORCES HAVE BEEN BATTLING ISLAMIC STATE EXTREMISTS THERE FOR SOME TIME NOW. AT LEAST 32 OTHERS WERE KILLED TODAY IN A SERIES OF BOMBINGS IN AND AROUND BAGHDAD. ALL THIS, A DAY AFTER PRESIDENT OBAMA ANNOUNCED PLANS TO DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF AMERICAN MILITARY ADVISORS IN IRAQ TO ABOUT 3,000. FOR MORE, AS PART OF OUR CONTINUING INTERVIEW SERIES, "THE WAR ON ISIS," WE ARE JOINED NOW FROM WASHINGTON BY ANTHONY CORDESMAN. HE IS WITH THE CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AND WAS THE DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENT IN THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE. I THINK SO THE FIRST QUESTION THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE ON THEIR MINDS IS, IS THIS MISSION CREEP? WHY ARE WE SENDING THESE ADDITIONAL TROOPS IN?

>> I THINK WE NEED TOND WHAT THE MISSION REALLY IS. WE HAVE PEOPLE ON THE DPLOWND TO ESSENTIALLY REBUILD THE IRAQI ARMY, CREATE A SUNNI FORCE IN THE AREAS NOW OCCUPIED BY THE ISLAMIC STATE, AND HELP THE PESHMERGA BECOME AN EFFECTIVE MILITARY FORCE. NOW, WE HAD ABOUT 1400 PEOPLE OFFICIALLY ON THE GROUND WHEN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE. THE ACTUAL NUMBERS WERE HIGHER, BUT NOT EVERYBODY WAS BEING COUNTED. BUT THAT WAS SCARCELY ENOUGH TO TRAIN NINE BRIGADES OF IRAQI FORCES, AND THE IRAQI ARMY HAS TO BE REBUILT ALMOST FROM THE GROUND UP. IT WASN'T ENOUGH TO TRAIN AN ADDITIONAL THREE PESHMERGA BRIGADES. AND ADDING ANOTHER 1500 PEOPLE CERTAINLY ISN'T GOING TO BE THE END OF THIS MISSION. IF WE'RE SUCCESSFUL AND WE CAN CREATE SUNNI UNITS AS WELL, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL TO DRIVING OUT THE ISLAMIC STATE. SO IT ISN'T A MATTER OF MISSION CREEP. FROM THE START IT'S BEEN CLEAR, THE AIR CAMPAIGN COULD ONLY WORK IF YOU COULD GET POLITICAL UNITY WITHIN IRAQ, AND YOU COULD CREATE A MIX OF IRAQI GROUND FORCES THAT COULD DRIVE THE ISLAMIC STATE OUT.

>> Sreenivasan: SO IS THERE SOME CONFIDENCE THAT EITHER THE U.S. OR ANYONE ELSE HAS THAT ADDING THESE 1500 MILITARY TRAINERS, RAMPING UP, LET'S SAY, ANOTHER 20,000 IRAQI TROOPS IN A FEW MONTHS, WILL BE ENOUGH?

>> WE NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL HERE. NO, THERE IS NO CONFIDENCE THAT THIS WILL BE ENOUGH. FIRST, IT ISN'T A MATTER OF MONTHS, ALTHOUGH YOU CAN MAKE PROGRESS WITH THE BETTER UNITS IN THAT TIME. IT'S BEEN STATED VERY CLEARLY THIS COULD TAKE SEVERAL YEARS. AND FOR IT TO WORK, YOU HAVE TO CONVINCE THE SUNNIS IN THE WESTERN PART OF IRAQ AND IN KEY AREAS IN THE NORTH LIKE MOSUL, THAT THEY WILL SPLIT WITH THE ISLAMIC STATE, THAT THEY WILL HAVE THEIR OWN MILITARY IDENTITY IN THESE NATIONAL GUARD UNITS, AND THOSE NATIONAL GUARD UNITS ARE GOING TO REQUIRE A MAJOR U.S. EFFORT TO TRAIN AND EQUIP.

>> Sreenivasan: THERE WAS A TIPPING POINT THAT FORCE FORCED? IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SEVERAL ATTACKS GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE CITY OF BAGHDAD?

>> NO, NOT REALLY. I MEAN, THE FACT THAT IT CAN OPERATE NEAR BAGHDAD OR BAGHDAD AIRPORT HAS BEEN A REALITY FOR MONTHS NOW. THE TIPPING POINT IS POLITICAL. TWHOOS HAPPENED IS THAT MALIKI, WHO PROVOKE AID CIVIL WAR, IS GONE. YOU HAVE A PRIME MINISTER WHO NOW HAS A MINISTER OF DEFENSE AND A MINISTER OF INTERIOR. YOU HAVE SOMETHING APPROACHING A NATIONAL GOVERNMENT. YOU NOW HAVE THE ABILITY TO PUT U.S. ADVISERS IN THAT CAN ACTUALLY TRAIN IRAQI FORCES AND HELP REBUILD THE ARMY THAT MALIKI HELPED DESTROY. AND YOU HAVE ENOUGH CONSENSUS TO BOOST AND SUPPORT PESHMERGA FORCES. THIS IS AN ONGOING POLITICAL STRUGGLE. WE DON'T KNOW HOW IT WILL COME OUT. AND AS YET, THE SUNNIS, WHICH ARE KEY TO OUR SUCCESS, HAVE NOT IN ANY MEANINGFUL WAY, TURNED AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE.

>> Sreenivasan: WHILE WE'VE BEEN FOCUSED ON THE TROOP MOVEMENTS AND THE INCREASED PRESENCE OF AMERICAN TROOPS IN IRAQ, WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING IN SYRIA?

>> WIT WELL, WE SUFFERED VERY SERIOUS REVERSES. TWO OF THE KEY ELEMENT ELEMENTSE PUT TRAINING AND ARMS INTO, THE ONLY REALLY MODERATE ELEMENTS IN THE THE NORTHERN PART OF SYRIA HAVE SUFFERED SERIOUS DEFEATS NEAR THE TURKISH BORDER BY A DIFFERENT ISLAMIST EXTREMIST GROUP, THE AL-NUSRA FRONT. WE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH EQUIPMENT THEY'VE LOST, HOW MUCH MILITARY CAPABILITY THEY'VE LOST, BUT THE UNITS WE DID MOST TO TRAIN AND THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THE CORE OF THIS FORCE OF FREE SYRIAN UNITS THAT WE WERE GOING TO BUILD UP WITH 5,000 BEING TRAINED IN SAUDI ARABIA, AND ANOTHER 5,000 TRAINED ELSEWHERE, HAVE TAKEN A VERY SERIOUS SET OF REVERSES. HOW BAD THAT REVERSE IS, IS SOMETHING WHICH THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE COULDN'T ESTIMATE, AT LEAST AS OF YESTERDAY.

>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT, ANTHONY CORDESMAN JOINING US FROM WASHINGTON, THANKS SO MUCH.

>> A PLEASURE.

>> Sreenivasan: AND NOW TO OUR SIGNATURE SEGMENT, OUR ORIGINAL IN-DEPTH REPORTS FROM AROUND THE NATION AND AROUND THE WORLD. TONIGHT, WE TAKE YOU TO EL SALVADOR, ONE OF THE CENTRAL AMERICAN NATIONS FROM WHICH TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE FLED LAST SUMMER BEFORE BEING APPREHENDED TRYING TO CROSS INTO THE UNITED STATES FROM MEXICO. THEIR ARRIVAL AND DETENTION HAS BEEN WIDELY REPORTED, BUT MUCH LESS HAS BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT THE CONDITIONS BACK HOME THAT LED TO THEIR FLIGHT AND EVEN LESS ABOUT HOW U.S. POLICIES MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO IT. NEWSHOUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT JOHN CARLOS FRAY REPORTS.

>> Reporter: MIGUEL ANGEL GOMEZ, A 30-YEAR-OLD TAXI DRIVER HERE IN EL SALVADOR, SPENDS A LOT OF TIME LOOKING IN HIS REARVIEW MIRROR, WORRIED THAT HE WILL BE THE NEXT VICTIM OF A NOTORIOUSLY VIOLENT STREET GANG THAT ALREADY MURDERED MIGUEL'S BROTHER. A LOCAL NEWS REPORT SHOWED THE SCENE OF THE CRIME.

>> ( translated ): FIRST, THEY SHOT HIM, AND THEN THEY BEHEADED HIM. HERE, IF THEY DON'T LIKE YOU OR FOR ANY LITTLE THING, THEY HAVE YOU KILLED.

>> Reporter: MIGUEL SAYS HIS BROTHER WAS NOT PART OF A GANG AND HAS NO IDEA WHY HIS BROTHER WAS KILLED, BUT MIGUEL SAYS GANG MEMBERS ARE NOW AFTER HIM BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE THAT HE'LL SEEK REVENGE. WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU AND YOUR WIFE IF YOU BOTH STAY HERE IN EL SALVADOR?

>> ( translated ): THEY WILL KILL US.

>> Reporter: HE AND HIS WIFE ARE NOW PLANNING TO ILLEGALLY CROSS THE BORDER INTO TEXAS, WHERE THEY HAVE RELATIVES. SINCE LAST JANUARY, MORE THAN 230,000 UNDOCUMENTED CENTRAL AMERICANS, MANY OF THEM CHILDREN, HAVE CROSSED INTO THE UNITED STATES FLEEING VIOLENCE PERPETRATED BY GANGS AND DRUG CARTELS IN COUNTRIES LIKE EL SALVADOR, HONDURAS AND GUATEMALA. WITH ALL THE REPORTING ABOUT THE CURRENT CRISIS, WHAT'S LITTLE UNDERSTOOD IS THAT THE MASS EXODUS TO THE UNITED STATES EARLIER THIS YEAR WAS ACTUALLY 30 YEARS IN THE MAKING, FUELED BY AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY DECISIONS IN THE EARLY 1980s AND AN ACT OF CONGRESS IN THE MID 1990s.

>> THERE ARE EXPERTS WHO SAY THIS IS ALL AMERICANS' FAULT AND THERE ARE THOSE WHO SAY IT'S NOT OUR FAULT BECAUSE WE'RE FOLLOWING THE RULES. AND THEN, THERE'S PEOPLE LIKE ME SORT OF ON THE FENCE.

>> Reporter: IT ALL BEGAN IN THE EARLY 1980s, WHEN EL SALVADOR WAS IN THE MIDST OF A BRUTAL CIVIL WAR. IT WAS THE HEIGHT OF THE COLD WAR, AND THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION, FEARFUL OF COMMUNIST EXPANSION IN CENTRAL AMERICA, SUPPORTED THE MILITARY- BACKED GOVERNMENT WITH ARMS AND FINANCING. 75,000 WERE KILLED IN THE CONFLICT, MOSTLY AT THE HANDS OF GOVERNMENT FORCES. IT'S ESTIMATED THAT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF SALVADORANS FLED THEIR WAR-TORN COUNTRY, SEEKING REFUGE IN THE UNITED STATES.

>> THE MASS EXODUS OF SALVADORIANS TO FLEE THE CONFLICT DOWN THERE PUT A LARGE POPULATION OF SALVADORIAN IMMIGRANTS IN LOS ANGELES.

>> Reporter: AL VALDEZ IS A 28- YEAR VETERAN OF THE POLICE FORCE IN ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, WHO SPECIALIZED IN UNDERCOVER FIELD OPERATIONS AND HEADED THE GANG INVESTIGATION UNIT FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE THERE. HE EXPLAINS THAT MANY OF THESE SALVADORAN FAMILIES LIVED IN POVERTY IN THE ROUGH NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES. SOME OF THESE NEW IMMIGRANTS JOINED LATINO GANGS LIKE 18th STREET GANG AND MARA SALVATRUCHA 13, OR M.S. 13, FOR BOTH PROTECTION AND A LIVELIHOOD.

>> KIDS JOIN GANGS AS A MECHANISM TO SURVIVE. NOW, GRANTED, YOUR LIFE SUCKS, BUT AT LEAST YOU'RE ALIVE AND YOU HAVE FOOD AND WATER, AND YOU HAVE PROTECTION.

>> Reporter: MANY OF THOSE SALVADORAN GANG MEMBERS ENDED UP IN CALIFORNIA PRISONS, AND THIS IS WHERE THAT ACT OF CONGRESS COMES IN. BEFORE 1996, ONLY CRIMINALS CONVICTED OF VIOLENT FELONIES WITH SENTENCES OF FIVE YEARS OR MORE COULD BE DEPORTED. BUT ALL THAT CHANGED IN 1996, WHEN, IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET TOUGH ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, CONGRESS PASSED A LAW ALLOWING AUTHORITIES TO DEPORT CRIMINALS IF THEY HAD A PRISON SENTENCE OF JUST ONE YEAR. THIS LED TO THE DEPORTATION OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF GANG MEMBERS TO CENTRAL AMERICA, MANY TO EL SALVADOR. ONCE THEY ARRIVED, THEY SET UP SHOP HERE AND RECRUITED LOCAL SALVADORANS INTO THE GANGS. MANY OF THE NEW RECRUITS WERE TEENAGERS WHO JOINED FOR THE MONEY AND FOR THE STREET CRED; OTHERS BECAUSE THEY'D BEEN THREATENED THAT IF THEY REFUSED TO JOIN, THEY'D BE KILLED.

>> THOSE COUNTRIES, CENTRAL AMERICA, WAS RIPE FOR A CRIMINAL CULTURE TO OVERTAKE IT BECAUSE OF ITS SEVERE POVERTY AND THE LACK OF OPPORTUNITIES, THE CORRUPTION INVOLVED. IT WAS LIKE A PETRI DISH THAT YOU PUT AN EBOLA VIRUS IN IT AND IT'S GOING TO GROW LIKE CRAZY.

>> WE HAD A PRETTY POTENTIALLY GRAVE CRIME PROBLEM REPRESENTED BY THESE GANG MEMBERS THAT ARE BEING DEPORTED AND A VERY YOUNG POLICE FORCE THAT WAS GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT.

>> Reporter: CARLOS PONCE, A PROMINENT SALVADORAN CRIME ANALYST AND FORMER DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH FOR THE NATIONAL POLICE FORCE, SAYS THE COUNTRY WAS UNPREPARED FOR THIS WAVE OF GANG MEMBERS WHO HAD CUT THEIR TEETH ON THE STREETS OF LOS ANGELES. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, PONCE SAYS, WHEN THESE DEPORTATIONS STARTED, U.S. AUTHORITIES WERE PROVIDING NO INFORMATION ABOUT WHO WAS HEADING THEIR WAY. WAIT A MINUTE. SO, THE U.S. WAS DEPORTING CRIMINALS WITHOUT THEIR CRIMINAL RECORDS?

>> YEAH. YEAH.

>> Reporter: YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHO WAS COMING INTO THE COUNTRY?

>> WE DIDN'T KNOW WHO WAS COMING AND, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE FREE TO DO AS THEY PLEASED.

>> Reporter: WHILE PONCE SAYS THAT COORDINATION WITH THE UNITED STATES HAS IMPROVED, DEPORTATIONS OF GANG MEMBERS CONTINUE TO THIS DAY. SO, HOW MUCH RESPONSIBILITY DO YOU GIVE THE UNITED STATES FOR THE GANG PROBLEM IN EL SALVADOR?

>> I THINK THE U.S. RESPONSIBILITY SHOULD'VE BEEN, OR COULD BE, THAT WE SHOULD ADVISE THE LOCAL OFFICIALS IN THE COUNTRIES OF REPATRIATION OF EXACTLY WHO WE'RE SENDING BACK-- THAT "THIS GUY WAS ARRESTED FOR MURDER, HE DID TIME FOR MURDER. THIS GUY WAS ARRESTED FOR ROBBERY. HE'S A SEXUAL PREDATOR. WE'RE SENDING THEM BACK." YOU NEED TO HAVE THIS DATA TO MAKE YOUR COUNTRY SAFE.

>> Reporter: IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT TOLD US THA" THE REMOVAL OF KNOWN VIOLENT CRIMINAL GANG MEMBERS AND FOREIGN FUGITIVES ARE AMONG THE AGENCY'S HIGHEST ENFORCEMENT PRIORITIES. DURING THE REMOVAL PROCESS, ICE WORKS CLOSELY WITH FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS TO SHARE ALL RELEVANT INFORMATION ABOUT INDIVIDUALS BEING RETURNED, TO INCLUDE THEIR CRIMINAL HISTORY." WERE YOU A BAD KID?

>> I WAS PRETTY BAD. TO THIS TIME NOW, I'M STILL BAD.

>> Reporter: 32-YEAR-OLD MANUEL FLORES, ALSO KNOWN AS "SAD BOY" BY FELLOW GANG MEMBERS IN LOS ANGELES, WAS DEPORTED FROM A FEDERAL PRISON TO EL SALVADOR JUST ABOUT A TWO YEARS AGO. FLORES RECOUNTED HIS DAYS IN ROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL L.A.

>> GANGBANG ON THE RIVAL FROM A DIFFERENT HOOD.

>> Reporter: ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT VIOLENCE?

>> UH-HUH.

>> Reporter: BEATING PEOPLE UP?

>> YEAH.

>> Reporter: SHOOTING PEOPLE? KILLING PEOPLE?

>> UH-HUH.

>> Reporter: SO, YOU WERE INVOLVED WITH PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLING OTHER PEOPLE?

>> YEAH. YES.

>> Reporter: FLORES' STORY EMBODIES THIS 30-YEAR CYCLE OF VIOLENCE THAT LED TO WHAT PRESIDENT OBAMA CALLED A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS ALONG THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER THIS PAST SUMMER. WHEN HE WAS ONLY SIX MONTHS OLD, HE AND HIS FAMILY FLED THE CIVIL WAR IN EL SALVADOR. HE GREW UP IN L.A., BECAME A GANG MEMBER, WAS IMPRISONED AFTER STABBING SOMEONE IN THE NECK, AND EVENTUALLY DEPORTED BACK TO EL SALVADOR. NOW, HE ACKNOWLEDGES THAT HE IS LIKELY TO RESUME HIS LIFE OF CRIME, CRIME THAT IN PART FUELED LAST SUMMER'S MASS MIGRATION. YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO THE STREETS?

>> YES. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE MONEY FOR YOU AND YOUR PEOPLE, I MEAN, YOU JUST GO AHEAD AND GANGBANG ALL YOUR LIFE.

>> THE GANG MEMBERS ARE... STROLL ON THE STREETS WITH THEIR RIFLES SHOWING. I MEAN, JUST OUT OF THE MOST EXAGGERATED MOVIE YOU CAN SEE ABOUT GANGS IN THE MOST SAVAGE COUNTRY YOU CAN IMAGINE. AND THAT'S WHY AT THE END PEOPLE ARE LEAVING THE COUNTRY, BECAUSE THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR KIDS DON'T HAVE A CHANCE AGAINST THIS MONSTER THAT HAS BEEN GROWING AND GROWING FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS.

>> Reporter: IN A COUNTRY OF JUST SIX MILLION, THERE ARE NOW A REPORTED SEVEN MURDERS A DAY, ACCORDING TO THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT. AND A RECENT SURVEY CONDUCTED HERE FOUND THAT ONE OUT OF FOUR SALVADORANS HAS CONSIDERED LEAVING THE COUNTRY DUE TO VIOLENCE AND THE LACK OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. PEOPLE ARE FLEEING THE COUNTRY BECAUSE THEY ARE AFRAID OF YOU. THEY'RE AFRAID OF THE GANGS.

>> ( translated ): IT'S CLEAR, MAN. I ACCEPT THAT.

>> Reporter: THIS HIGH-LEVEL MEMBER OF THE 18th STREET GANG, WHO ASKED TO BE CALLED" SANTIAGO," ALSO AGREED TO TALK WITH US. SANTIAGO SAID HE KNOWS ALL ABOUT SALVADORANS, MANY OF THEM CHILDREN, FLEEING TO THE U.S. TO ESCAPE CRIMINALS LIKE HIM, AND HE'S JUST FINE WITH THAT.

>> ( translated ): IT DOESN'T BOTHER ME. YOU KNOW WHY? WHY WOULDN'T I WANT A CHILD THAT WILL BECOME A GANG MEMBER HERE TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY? LET HIM PICK UP AND GO AND GET REUNITED WITH HIS MOTHER IN THE U.S. AND HAVE ACCESS TO A QUALITY EDUCATION.

>> Reporter: THE SALVADORAN AUTHORITIES TELL US THEY ARE DOING ALL THEY CAN TO STOP THE VIOLENCE AND KEEP THEIR CITIZENS FROM FLEEING TO THE U.S., BUT THEY SAY THEY ARE UP AGAINST IT. 20,000 OFFICERS TRYING TO BATTLE 60,000 GANG MEMBERS. A RAID ON 18th STREET GANG MEMBERS IN A HILLTOP VILLAGE BY THE ANTI-GANG TASK FORCE ILLUSTRATES THE PROBLEM. ON A PITCH-BLACK, MOONLESS NIGHT, WE FOLLOW THE OFFICERS INTO A WOODED CLIFF-SIDE AREA DOTTED WITH ADOBE HOMES. USING BATTERING RAMS, THE OFFICERS RAIDED MULTIPLE RESIDENTS SIMULTANEOUSLY. DESPITE METICULOUSLY PLANNING THE RAID FOR TWO MONTHS, BY THE END OF THE EVENING, POLICE ONLY ARRESTED TWO OF THE TEN SUSPECTED GANG MEMBERS THEY WERE LOOKING FOR. LATER, THEY SPECULATED THAT THE GANG MEMBERS HAD BEEN TIPPED OFF. EL SALVADOR'S INABILITY TO DEFEAT THE GANGS CONTINUES TO FUEL MIGRATION TO THE U.S., DESPITE THE TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS A YEAR THE U.S. IS NOW POURING INTO THIS CENTRAL AMERICAN NATION FOR BOTH SECURITY AND ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE. REMEMBER TAXI DRIVER MIGUEL ANGEL GOMEZ, WHOSE BROTHER WAS DECAPITATED BY GANG MEMBERS? LATELY, HE SAYS, THEY'VE BEEN FOLLOWING HIM AS HE DRIVES HIS TAXI.

>> ( translated ): I FEEL THAT THE MORE TIME PASSES, THE CLOSER THEY GET.

>> Reporter: WHICH IS WHY, AFTER REQUESTING AND BEING DENIED ASYLUM IN THE UNITED STATES, HE'S STILL PLANNING TO GO TO THE U.S. ILLEGALLY. HE'S NOT THE ONLY ONE IN OUR STORY HEADING TO AMERICA. MANUEL FLORES, THE GANG MEMBER THE UNITED STATES SENT BACK TO EL SALVADOR, SAYS HE PLANNING TO RETURN, TOO.

>> Sreenivasan: GO INSIDE THE NOTORIOUS 18th STREET GANG, ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS IN EL SALVADOR. READ OUR PRODUCER'S NOTEBOOK FROM THAT COUNTRY AT newshour.pbs.org.

>> THIS IS PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND, SATURDAY.

>> Sreenivasan: TUCKED AWAY IN THE CONSTELLATION TAURUS IN DISTANT SPACE, PLANETS ARE BEING BORN. HOW DO WE KNOW? BECAUSE SCIENTISTS ARE OBSERVING IT HAPPEN MORE CLEARLY THAN EVER BEFORE. USING THE ALMA RADIO TELESCOPE IN CHILE, ASTRONOMERS WERE ABLE TO CAPTURE THIS IMAGE SHOWING A STAR SURROUNDED BY A LARGE DISC MADE OF GAS AND DUST. IT MAY LOOK LIKE AN ARTIST'S ILLUSTRATION, BUT, IN FACT, AT THE CENTER OF THIS IMAGE IS THE REAL H.L. TAURI STAR. AND THE DARK RINGS-- THAT'S BELIEVED TO BE THE DUST AND GAS COMING TOGETHER TO FORM PLANETS, METEORS AND ASTEROIDS. H.L. TAURI IS 450 LIGHT YEARS FROM EARTH, AND EVEN THOUGH IT'S ALMOST ONE MILLION YEARS OLD, ASTRONOMERS CONSIDER IT QUITE YOUNG. FOR DECADES, ASTRONOMERS HAVE KNOWN OF THE EXISTENCE OF THE STAR BUT HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO SEE IT CLEARLY. BUT NOW, HIGH UP IN CHILE'S ATACAMA DESERT, THESE ANTENNAE ARE USING RADIO FREQUENCIES TO GATHER EMISSIONS FROM GAS, DUST AND STARS TO MAKE HIGH- RESOLUTION IMAGES OF THE UNIVERSE, IMAGES EVEN SHARPER THAN SOME OF THOSE TAKEN FROM SPACE BY NASA'S HUBBLE TELESCOPE. THE FINDINGS HAVE SHAKEN ASTRONOMERS' THEORIES.

>> EVEN AT THIS YOUNG AGE, ALMA HAS DISCOVERED THAT WE ALREADY HAVE LARGE PLANETARY CORES FORMING. SO, THE PROCESS OF PLANET FORMATION HAS TO OCCUR MUCH FASTER AND MUCH EARLIER THAN WE HAD EVER EXPECTED.

>> Sreenivasan: THE NEW PICTURE HAS GOTTEN SCIENTISTS EXCITED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES OF THE TELESCOPE.

>> IMAGE AND DISCOVERY REPRESENT A MILESTONE IN THE HISTORY OF ALMA, AND IT'S A DREAM THAT'S COME TRUE. I MEAN, PEOPLE HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT IT FOR 20 YEARS, AND NOW WE SEE IT.

>> Sreenivasan: WITH THE NEW IMAGE DISPLAYING DETAIL NEVER BEFORE SEEN, ASTRONOMERS ARE NOW HOPING TO EXPAND OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PLANETS FORM BOTH WITHIN AND OUTSIDE OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM.

>> Sreenivasan: SOME MORE NEWS BEFORE WE LEAVE YOU TONIGHT. THE PENTAGON CONFIRMS THAT U.S. WARPLANES HIT A GATHERING OF TOP ISIS LEADERS, POSSIBLY INCLUDING THE TOP COMMANDER. ONE ARAB TELEVISION NETWORK QUOTED SOURCES SAYING BAGHDADY WAS CRITICALLY WOUNDED. I'M HARI SREENIVASAN. SEE YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW NIGHT. Captioning sponsored by WNET Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org

>> PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND IS MADE POSSIBLE BY: CORPORATE FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY MUTUAL OF AMERICA-- DESIGNING CUSTOMIZED INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP RETIREMENT PRODUCTS. THAT'S WHY WE ARE YOUR RETIREMENT COMPANY. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT IS PROVIDED BY: AND BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU. THANK YOU.

>> THIS IS A SPECIAL EVENT. YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE HISTORY COME ALIVE, AS ANOTHER GREAT HISTORICAL ICON IS SAVED FROM THE BRINK OF DESTRUCTION.

>> AS FAR AS WE KNOW, WITH ALL THE RESEARCH THAT WE'VE DONE, THIS IS THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS SURVIVED TODAY.

>> I'M PUSHING FOR ALL I'M WORTH, GUYS.

>> HOLY TOLEDO.

>> Narrator: AFTER YEARS IN PRODUCTION, THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM IS DEDICATED TO ALL WHO BELIEVE THE PAST HOLDS IMPORTANT SECRETS TO BE SHARED...

>> IS THIS THE ACTUAL HORSE? PEOPLE WILL FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE.

>> Narrator: LESSONS TO BE LEARNED...

>> Woman: THERE'S ORANGE, THEN THERE'S SILVER, AND THEN IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S GOLD.

>> IT WAS THE TOWN'S PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. THEY WERE A SOURCE OF PRIDE.

>> Narrator: AND PRIDE TO BE RESTORED. JOIN US NOW FOR THIS