

April 9, 2025
4/9/2025 | 55m 47sVideo has Closed Captions
Li Yuan; Ryan Calais Cameron; Jasmine Mooney
The New York Times journalist Li Yuan on the trade war with China. Ryan Calais Cameron on his new play "Retrograde." Canadian actress and entrepreneur Jasmine Mooney on being detained by ICE while attempting to renew her work visa.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback

April 9, 2025
4/9/2025 | 55m 47sVideo has Closed Captions
The New York Times journalist Li Yuan on the trade war with China. Ryan Calais Cameron on his new play "Retrograde." Canadian actress and entrepreneur Jasmine Mooney on being detained by ICE while attempting to renew her work visa.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch Amanpour and Company
Amanpour and Company is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.

Watch Amanpour and Company on PBS
PBS and WNET, in collaboration with CNN, launched Amanpour and Company in September 2018. The series features wide-ranging, in-depth conversations with global thought leaders and cultural influencers on issues impacting the world each day, from politics, business, technology and arts, to science and sports.Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship>>> HELLO, EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO "AMANPOUR & CO." HERE'S WHAT'S COMING UP.
TRUMP HITS CHINA AND CHINA HITS BACK.
I GET THE DETAILS ON THE TARIFF TURMOIL TANKING THE GLOBAL ECONOMY AND THE VIEW FROM BEIJING.
>>> THEN AN IDF WHISTLE-BLOWER TELLS JEREMY DIAMOND ABOUT TURNING A GAZA BUFFER ZONE INTO A KILLING FIELD.
>>> ALSO, PLAYWRIGHT RYAN CALAIS CAMERON BRINGS US BACK TO THE 1950s IN HOLLYWOOD AND SIDNEY POITIER'S FORMIDABLE FIGHT AGAINST McCARTHYISM.
>>> PLUS, DETAINED BY I.C.E., CANADIAN ACTRESS JASMINE MOONEY TELLS HARI SREENIVASAN WHAT IT'S REALLY LIKE TO BE LOCKED UP AT THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER.
♪♪ >>> "AMANPOUR & CO." IS MADE POSSIBLE BY --THE ANDERSON FAMILY ENDOWMENT JIM ATTWOOD AND LESLIE WILLIAMS CANDACE KING WEIR THE SYLVIA A.
AND SIMON B. POYTA PROGRAMING ENDOWMENT TO FIGHT ANTISEMITISM THE FAMILY FOUNDATION OF LEILA AND MICKEY STRAUS MARK J. BLECHNER THE FILOMEN M. D'AGOSTINO FOUNDATION SETON J. MELVIN THE PETER G. PETERSON AND JOAN GANZ COONEY FUND CHARLES ROSENBLUM KOO AND PATRICIA YUEN, COMMITTED TO BRIDGING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN OUR COMMUNITIES BARBARA HOPE ZUCKERBERG JEFFREY KATZ AND BETH ROGERS AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.
THANK YOU.
>>> WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM, EVERYONE.
I'M CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR IN LONDON.
DONALD TRUMP TAKES EVER MORE EXTRAORDINARY ACTION.
BY THE MIDDLE OF WEDNESDAY, HE HAD ANNOUNCED A 90-DAY PAUSE ON NEW TARIFFS THAT HAD GONE INTO EFFECT EARLIER IN THE DAY, EXCEPT FOR CHINA.
AFTER SINGLE- HANDEDLY TANKING THE MARKETS WITH HIS TRADE WAR, TRUMP HAD URGED BE COOL.
BUT MARKETS WEREN'T LISTENING.
NOBODY KNOWS WHERE THIS WILL ALL END UP.
BEFORE TRUMP HIT THE PAUSE BUTTON, THE EU APPROVED COUNTER TARIFFS ON THE U.S. AND CHINA WAS REFUSING TO BLINK, ANNOUNCING PLANS TO RAISE TARIFFS ON AMERICAN IMPORTS TO 84%.
NOW IT HAD BEEN HIT BY AN EYE- POPPING 104% TARIFF IN WASHINGTON BEFORE TRUMP RAISED THAT AGAIN TO 125%.
ALSO HITTING A NERVE IN BEIJING, OFFENSIVE WORDS FROM VICE PRESIDENT J.D.
VANCE IN WHICH HE REFERRED TO CHINESE PEASANTS IN AN INTERVIEW DEFENDING U.S. POLICY.
>> TO MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT MORE CRYSTAL CLEAR, WE BORROW MONEY FROM CHINESE PEASANTS TO BUY THE THINGS THAT THE CHINESE PEASANTS MANUFACTURE.
>> THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY CALLED THE COMMENTS IGNORANT AND DISRESPECTFUL.
SO A TRADE WAR AND WAR OF WORDS BETWEEN THE WORLD'S TWO BIGGEST ECONOMIES.
THAT, PLUS TRUMP'S ACROSS-THE-BOARD CRACKDOWN ON U.S. INSTITUTIONS IS RAISING THE ALARM IN BEIJING WHICH IS TRYING TO MANAGE WHAT IT SEES AS A RECKLESS TRADING PARTNER.
LI YUAN COVERS CHINA AND FOREIGN RELATIONS FOR "THE NEW YORK TIMES," AND SHE JOINED US FROM NEW YORK.
WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.
>> THANK YOU.
>> SO BECAUSE YOU KEEP AN EYE ON ALL THIS, EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE DOING IT FROM THE UNITED STATES, WHAT ARE -- WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT SIGNALS THAT YOU'RE PICKING UP FROM INSIDE CHINA, THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING?
>> IT SEEMS TO ME THE GOVERNMENT IS NOW DETERMINED TO SHOW THAT IT'S WILLING TO FIGHT TO THE END.
THAT'S WHAT THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN SAID THE OTHER DAY.
AND ON THE CHINESE INTERNET, A LOT OF NATIONALISTIC BLOGGERS ARE SAYING THE U.S. HAS DECLARED A WAR ON CHINA AND THEY ARE TALKING ABOUTING WILLING TO FIGHT TO THE END AS WELL.
AND IT'S A LOT OF THINGS ARE GOING ON, BUT INTERESTINGLY, LAST NIGHT, WHILE I WAS SCROLLING ON THE CHINESE SOCIAL MEDIA AND THAT'S A HASH TAG SAYING THAT AMERICA IS GOING TO IMPOSE 104% TARIFFS ON CHINA, AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN THAT HASH TAG DISAPPEARED.
WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT IT MEANS.
ALSO, LIKE THE 104% TARIFFS, THE AMERICAN TARIFFS ON CHINA THAT IS ALSO CENSORED.
AND ALSO, I FOUND A PHOTO OF --IT'S A MARKED PHOTO.
IT'S AN AI PHOTO OF TRUMP, VANCE, AND ELON MUSK ARE WORKING ON THE NIKE ASSEMBLY LINE, AND I TRIED TO SEND TO IT A FEW FRIENDS.
AND IT DIDN'T GO THROUGH.
SO THERE ARE LOTS OF SIGNALS.
>> SIGNALS, AND I GUESS CHINA IS TRYING TO MANAGE IT BY ALLOWING SOME PROTESTS AND CRACKING DOWN ON SOME OTHER.
DO YOU THINK IT'S STRANGE THAT CHINA IS NOW CLAIMING TO BE THE RULE FOLLOWER AND ACCUSING THE UNITED STATES OF BEING THE RULE BREAKER WHEN CERTAINLY THE WEST HAS A LOT OF ISSUES OBVIOUSLY WITH CHINA'S SOMETIMES OFTEN UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICES AND ITS IP PRACTICES.
HOW DO YOU --HOW IS THIS GOING TO PLAY OUTDO YOU THINK, IN CHINA'S FAVOR NOR THE U.S.?
>> I THINK IT'S VERY HARD TO SAY, YOU KNOW, I'M TRYING TO TALK TO SOME CHINESE EXPERTS, AND THEY'RE LIKE I REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S GOING TO PLAY OUT.
I DON'T REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT TOO MUCH.
AND IT'S --IT'S DEFINITELY A GAME OF CHICKEN, RIGHT.
THE U.S. IS --TRUMP IS NOT BACKING DOWN, AND HE IS SAYING BE COOL, AND CHINA IS, LIKE, WE WILL RETALIATE IF YOU IMPOSE MORE.
AND IT'S REALLY HARD TO SAY WHERE IT IS GOING, BUT IN THE END, I THINK ONE ASPECT IS THAT CHINA HAS DEMONSTRATED IT HAS THE WILL.
IT HAS THE WILL TO KEEP GOING.
AND ALSO, IT'S THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS HAD THE HISTORY OF MAKING PEOPLE TO ENDURE A LOT OF HARDSHIPS, RIGHT.
AND IT'S A QUESTION ABOUT WHICH GOVERNMENT CAN MAKE ITS PEOPLE TO ENDURE HARDSHIP.
AND REMEMBER, DURING THE GREAT FAMINE, THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD, TENS OF MILLIONS OF CHINESE WERE STARVED TO DEATH BECAUSE CHAIRMAN MAO WAS DETERMINED TO INDUSTRIAL CHINA IN A FEW YEARS OR IN A FEW DECADES.
AND, YOU KNOW, THEN IN THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION AND THE CHAIRMAN MAO ALSO, YOU KNOW, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE DIED BECAUSE CHAIRMAN MAO WAS TRYING TO GRASP POWER, TO CONSOLIDATE HIS POWER.
AND ALSO, IN THE PAST FEW YEARS, CHINA'S ECONOMY HAS BEEN IN TROUBLE.
AND THE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT RATE HAS BEEN VERY HIGH.
AND XI JINPING TOLD THE YOUNG PEOPLE YOU SHOULD EAT BITTERNESS, YOU SHOULD DEAL WITH IT.
AND I THINK IN TERMS OF, LIKE, THE GOVERNMENT'S WILL TO MAKE ITS PEOPLE TO GO THROUGH A LOT OF DIFFICULTIES, I DON'T THINK THE U.S. GOVERNMENT CAN BEAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT.
>> SO THAT'S REALLY INTERESTING.
WE HEARD FROM THE TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT TODAY.
HE WAS IN SOME KIND OF CONFERENCE OR TALKING SOMEWHERE, AND HE BASICALLY TRIED TO SAY, WELL, ACTUALLY, WE AND THE REST OF THE WORLD, EUROPE, WE SHOULD ALL BAND TOGETHER AGAINST CHINA AND HAVE A STRONG ECONOMY ALL OF US AND ESSENTIALLY PUNISH CHINA FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE ARE ITS UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICES.
DO YOU THINK --YOU KNOW, YOU'VE SAID AND YOU KNOW CHINA, THAT, YES, IT'S A DICTATORSHIP, AND THEY CAN TELL THEIR PEOPLE TO ENDURE ANY AMOUNT OF HARDSHIP, BUT DO YOU THINK THEY MIGHT BE WORRIED THAT THE WHOLE WORLD WILL BAND AGAINST THEM?
>> YEAH.
THE CHINESE PRESIDENT, XI JINPING, HELD A MEETING WITH HIS TOP DEPUTIES LAST NIGHT I BELIEVE, AND HE TOLD -- HE TOLD THEM WE SHOULD ENHANCE OUR TIES WITH OUR NEIGHBORS, AND WE SHOULD BUILD UP SUPPLY CHAIN COOPERATION, INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION, AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN TRYING TO COZY UP WITH EUROPE AND JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA, AND HAS BEEN SAYING ALL THE RIGHT THINGS.
I READ A XINHUA COMMENTARY LAST WEEK.
I'VE NEVER AGREED WITH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT SO MUCH, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT HOW TO BE A RESPONSIBLE STAKEHOLDER AND ALL THAT.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE SHOULD ALSO NOTE THAT CHINA'S ASIAN NEIGHBORS ARE VERY WORRIED ABOUT CHINA'S EXCESSIVE EXPORTS AND EUROPE HAS BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT HOW MUCH CHINESE EXPORTS THEY'RE GETTING.
AND, YOU KNOW, NOW BASICALLY, THE U.S. AND CHINA, U.S. HAS BEEN VERY IMPORTANT EXPORT MARKET FOR CHINA, AND PROBABLY THE HIGHEST PROFIT MARGIN.
AND NOW THAT CHINA HAS TO FIND MARKETS ELSEWHERE, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT HAS BEEN SAYING ALL THE RIGHT THINGS.
BUT I REALLY THINK THERE IS A LOT OF SUSPICION ABOUT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND WHETHER IT'S REALLY WILLING TO DO BUSINESS ON THE BASIS OF RULE OF LAW.
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, LET'S TALK ABOUT RULE OF LAW, OKAY.
BECAUSE MOST ANALYSTS BELIEVE THAT RULE OF LAW, THE ADHERING TO PROPER RULES OF THE ROAD, DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS IS NOT ANY GOOD FOR YOUR NATION, BUT GOOD FOR YOUR ECONOMY.
SO I'M VERY INTERESTED THAT YOU WROTE ONE OF YOUR RECENT COLUMNS TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU'RE HEARING FROM PEOPLE IN CHINA WHEN TRUMP STARTED TO SWERVE, LET'S SAY, AGAINST UKRAINE AND TOWARDS RUSSIA, AND THEN ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN UNFOLDING IN THE UNITED STATES.
YOU WERE HEARING AND THEN TOM FRIEDMAN, YOUR COLLEAGUE HAS WRITTEN RECENTLY AFTER A VISIT THERE THAT HIGH-LEVEL AND LOW-LEVEL CHINESE ARE ASKING HOLD ON A SECOND, IS AMERICA HAVING ITS OWN KIND OF CULTURAL REVOLUTION, THE MAO CULTURAL REVOLUTION THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT.
>> YEAH, THERE ARE A LOT OF TALKS ON CHINESE SOCIAL MEDIA AND IN PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE U.S.
THEY ARE LIKE IT'S THE MOST STRIKING SIMILARITY IS A SELF-COUP LAUNCHED BY A LEADER AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT, AT LEAST, RIGHT.
MAO DID THAT TO HIS OWN GOVERNMENT AND DISMANTLED ALL THE MINISTRIES.
AND IT TOOK TEN YEARS FOR CHINA, FOR THE COMMUNIST PARTY TO REALIZE WHAT A BIG MISTAKE IT WAS.
AND ALSO THEY WERE SEEING HOW THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS SILENCING THE MEDIA AND THEY'RE GOING AFTER LAW FIRMS AND ALL THOSE THINGS.
IT'S LIKE SO STRIKINGLY -- LIKE A STRIKINGLY SIMILAR FEELING.
IT'S REALLY --I KNOW, YOU KNOW, CHINA IS A ONE-PARTY STATE AND THAT THE U.S. IS A LIBERAL DEMOCRACY, AND CHINA, THE TWO COUNTRIES ARE VERY DIFFERENT.
AND DURING THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WERE PERSECUTED TO DEATH.
OF COURSE, THERE IS NOTHING TO COMPARE WITH THAT IN THE U.S., BUT THE FEELING OF CHAOS, OF GOVERNMENT THAT'S WILLING TO DESTROY THE RULE OF LAW, DISMANTLE THE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, AND SILENCING MEDIA IS ALL OF THESE.
JUST HAVE A REALLY WEIRD VIBE.
A JOURNALIST, HER PEN NAME IS JONG XIA.
SHE WAS INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST IN CHINA, AND SHE CAME TO THE U.S. A FEW YEARS AGO.
AND SHE SAID "I JUST FEEL, YOU KNOW, I'M OVERWHELMED BY THIS SENSE OF FAMILIARITY.
I FEEL LIKE AS IF I'M BACK TO CHINA."
>> WOW.
THAT IS REALLY DIFFICULT TO HEAR.
THE WAY YOU DESCRIBE IT AS A SELF-COUP IS VERY VIVID.
WE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
YOU TALK ABOUT THE MEDIA.
SO LAST QUESTION.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE EFFECT ON THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SHUTTERING VOICE OF AMERICA, RADIO FREE ASIA, ET CETERA, THOSE KINDS OF MEDIA THAT THE AMERICANS PROVIDED FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD TO GET INFORMATION, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY IN DICTATORSHIPS AND WHEN ALL THEY HAD WAS STATE-RUN PROPAGANDA.
>> YEAH.
GENERATIONS OF CHINESE MAY INCLUDE IT.
WE STARTED ENGLISH FROM VOICE OF AMERICA'S SPECIAL ENGLISH PROGRAM.
AND THE WAY --ALONG THE WAY, WE LEARNED --WE LISTENED TO THE NEWS AND WE LEARNED ABOUT LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS AS IDEALS.
WE ARE ENTITLED TO.
AND ALSO LISTEN TO THE NEWS.
I WENT TO COLLEGE IN 1989, AND WE WERE IN THE DORMITORY OF SEVEN GIRL STUDENTS, RIGHT.
AND WE WERE ALL POOR, BUT EACH OF US HAD A SHORTWAVE RADIO, AND WE LISTENED TO VOICE OF AMERICA IN THE EVENING AND IN THE MORNING.
AND THAT WAS RIGHT AFTER THE MASSACRE OF TIANANMEN SQUARE.
AND WHAT I LISTENED, WHAT WE LISTENED ON VOICE OF AMERICA CONTRADICTED THE NARRATIVES OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT.
AND THAT MADE ME THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS MY FIRST SUSPICION OF WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT WAS TELLING US THE TRUTH, RIGHT.
OF COURSE, I WASN'T FULLY CONVINCED BUT I HAD A STATE OF DOUBT.
AND I TALKED TO A THOUSAND CHINESE WHO TOLD ME SIMILAR STORIES FROM STANFORD ECONOMIST WHO IS NOW 74 AND WHO LISTENED TO VOICE OF AMERICA DURING CULTURAL REVOLUTION TO PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL IN THEIR 20s.
AND THEY ALL SAID THE SAME THING.
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT BY SILENCING VOICE OF AMERICA AND RADIO FREE ASIA, THAT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IS GIVING UP THE SOFT POWER.
IT'S GIVING UP THE IDEAS OF WAR.
IT'S REALLY A VERY SAD THING FOR MANY OF US.
>> YEAH.
IT WAS SUCH A GIFT THAT THE AMERICANS GAVE THE WORLD, PARTICULARLY PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF.
AND WHAT A VIVID DESCRIPTION.
AND OF COURSE HERE IN THE UK, THE BBC WORLD SERVICES HISTORICALLY PROVIDED THAT SERVICE AS WELL.
AND SO MANY PEOPLE LEARNED THE TRUTH.
AND NOW IF THAT'S BEING SILENCED BY AMERICA, IT IS VERY SAD.
LI YUAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANKS FOR YOUR EXPERTISE THERE.
>>> NOW, PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU HAS RETURNED TO ISRAEL AFTER MEETING TRUMP IN WASHINGTON.
HE DIDN'T SECURE TARIFF RELIEF, BUT MAYBE THE BIGGER ISSUE WAS IRAN AS TRUMP HAS ANNOUNCED NEW NUCLEAR TALKS WITH TEHRAN.
MEANWHILE, NETANYAHU CONTINUES THE WAR ON GAZA.
AN ISRAELI STRIKE TODAY KILLED AT LEAST 23 PALESTINIANS, INCLUDING 8 CHILDREN, ACCORDING TO GAZA'S CIVIL DEFENSE.
NETANYAHU IS STILL FACING MAJOR RESISTANCE AT HOME.
18 FORMER ISRAELI SECURITY CHIEFS SAY HE IS NOT FIT TO LEAD.
ONE IDF SOLDIER IS BLOWING THE WHISTLE ON WHAT HE SAYS WAS A POLICY TO PURPOSELY TURN A MASSIVE BUFFER ZONE INSIDE GAZA INTO A TOTAL WASTELAND AND EVEN A KILL ZONE.
HE HERE IS JEREMY DIAMOND'S REPORT.
>> Reporter: INSIDE GAZA, SWATHS OF LAND CLOSEST TO THE ISRAELI BORDER HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO A WASTELAND.
NEARLY EVERY BUILDING WITHIN ABOUT A HALF MILE OF THE BORDER FENCE HAS BEEN DESTROYED.
WE FILMED THIS FOOTAGE A YEAR AGO WHILE DEMOLITIONS WERE STILL ONGOING.
OVER TIME, THE ISRAELI MILITARY HAS RAZED ABOUT 22 SQUARE MILES OF PALESTINIAN LANDS, CREATING A BUFFER ZONE ON ABOUT 16% OF GAZA'S TERRITORY.
IT IS A NO-GO ZONE FOR PALESTINIANS, SOME OF WHOM HAVE BEEN KILLED AFTER SETTING FOOT INSIDE THE UNMARKED PERIMETER.
NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME, AN ISRAELI SOLDIER SAT DOWN WITH US TO DESCRIBE HOW THE MILITARY SYSTEMATICALLY DESTROYED CIVILIAN INFRASTRUCTURE TO CREATE THIS BUFFER ZONE.
>> SOME OF THEM, THE BUILDINGS WERE DESTROYED COMPLETELY, AND SOME ARE STILL STANDING.
AND OUR JOB WAS TO MAKE MORE OF THE FIRST TIME.
>> BUT THE FACT THAT THERE WERE STILL BUILDINGS STANDING MEANT THAT THE MISSION WASN'T DONE?
>> YEAH.
WE DESTROYED THEM ONE BY ONE IN A VERY METHODICAL FASHION, AREA BY AREA.
>> Reporter: A SERGEANT FIRST CLASS IN THE 5th INFANTRY BRIGADE, HE WAS CALLED UP TO DUTY ON OCTOBER 7th AND WAS LATER DEPLOYED HERE IN THE INDUSTRIAL ZONE OF GAZA CITY'S NEIGHBORHOOD, PROTECTING COMBAT ENGINEERS AS THEY BULL DOESZED BUILDINGS AND RIGGED OTHERS TO EXPLODE.
WE BLURRED HIS FACE AND CHANGED HIS VOICE BECAUSE HE RISKS REPRISALS FOR SPEAKING OUT ABOUT A POLICY THE ISRAELI MILITARY HAS NEVER OFFICIALLY ACKNOWLEDGED.
WAS IT CLEAR TO YOU THAT THIS WAS NOT THE ACTIONS OF ONE COMMANDER OR ONE -- >> OH, DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY.
I KNOW OTHER UNITS WERE DOING THE SAME UP NORTH AND THEN DOWN SOUTH.
I KNEW IT CAME FROM UP HIGH.
>> WHAT DID THEY TELL YOU ABOUT THE MISSION TO RAZE THESE BUILDINGS AND ESTABLISH THIS SECURITY ZONE?
>> ONE WAS THAT IS A LESSON FROM OCTOBER 7th.
WE'RE GOING HAVE LARGER BUFFER ZONE, LARGER THAN BEFORE.
AND THE OTHER WAS THAT ON OCTOBER 7th, THIS INDUSTRIAL ZONE WAS USED AS A LAUNCHING GROUND.
>> Reporter: OVER THE COURSE OF THE WAR, THIS ONE-TIME ECONOMIC HUB WAS FLATTENED.
THIS VIDEO WHICH CNN GEOLOCATED SHOWED THE DESTRUCTION OF GAZA'S ONLY COCA- COLA FACTORY.
BUT IT'S NOT JUST FACTORIES.
IN THE TONE OF KHUZA' A, HUNDREDS OF HOMES WERE LEVELED SPANNING ABOUT 1 KILOMETER FROM THE BORDER.
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS, GREENHOUSES, SHEDS, FACTORIES, YOU NAME IT, IT NEEDS TO BE FLAT.
THAT'S THE ORDER, A SERGEANT MAJOR WHO SERVED IN KHUZA' A SAID.
EXPECT FOR A SCHOOL NOTHING WAS LEFT.
HE IS ONE OF A DOZEN ISRAELI SOLDIERS WHO DESCRIBED THE DEMOLITIONS OF THE BUFFER ZONE AND IS BREAKING THE SILENCE AND AN ISRAELI WATCHDOG GROUP THAT PUBLISHES SOLDIERS' TESTIMONIALS.
SOME ALSO DESCRIBED HOW THE BUFFER ZONE HAS BEEN TURNED INTO A KILL ZONE FOR PALESTINIANS.
A SERGEANT FIRST CLASS IN THE ARMORED CORE DESCRIBED THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT.
ADULT MALE, SHOOT TO KILL.
FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN, SHOOT TO DRIVE AWAY.
PEOPLE WERE INCRIMINATED FOR HAVING BAGS IN THEIR HANDS, A WARRANTS OFFICER IN THE IDF SAID.
A GUY SHOWED UP WITH A BAG?
INCRIMINATED TERRORISTS.
I BELIEVE HE CAME TO PICK HUBEIZA, BUT THE ARMY SAID NO, THEY'RE HIDING.
>> THAT THEY WON'T TAKE FEASIBLE PRECAUTIONS, THAT THEY WON'T VERIFY THE STATUS OF AN INDIVIDUAL BEFORE ATTACKING THEM.
AND THAT DEFINITELY VIOLATES INTERNATIONAL LAW.
>> Reporter: IS THIS KIND OF WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTION OF CIVILIAN PROPERTY TO CREATE A BUFFER ZONE LEGAL UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW?
>> IT NEEDS TO BE A LEGITIMATE MILITARY OBJECTIVE AND OPERATION.
OBJECTIVE.
AND THE ONLY WAY TO ACHIEVE IT WOULD BE TO DESTROY THE CIVILIAN PROPERTY.
AT THAT SCALE, THAT'S SIMPLY NOT QUITE PLAUSIBLE.
IF THERE IS NO MILITARY NECESSITIES, THEN THAT FULFILLS THE CRITERIA FOR A WAR CRIME.
>> Reporter: THE ISRAELI MILITARY DID NOT RESPOND TO CNN'S REQUEST FOR COMMENT.
MORE THAN 6200 PALESTINIAN BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN DAMAGED OR DESTROYED WITHIN 1 KILOMETER OF THE GAZA BORDER, ACCORDING TO SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INCLUDING HERE IN AL BUREJI, WHERE ACRES OF HOMES AND FARMLAND WERE DESTROYED.
FOR 40 YEARS, ABDUL AZIZ GREW ORANGES AND GUAVAS ON THAT LAND.
BUT THAT HAS ALL BEEN RIPPED AWAY FROM HIM.
>> WHEN THEY ANNOUNCED THE 40-DAY TRUCE, WE WENT BACK.
WE FOUND THE HOUSE DESTROYED.
THE TREES WERE BULLDOZED.
BUT HE HAS LOST SO MUCH MORE.
ABDULAZIZ SAYS HIS SON MAHMOOD WHEN TO COLLECT FIREWOOD NEAR THEIR HOME WHEN HE WAS SHELLED BY AN ISRAELI TANK AND KILLED.
THE ISRAELI MILITARY DID NOT RESPOND TO CNN'S REQUESTS FOR COMMENTS.
>> Translator: THEY KNEW THEY WERE ONLY COLLECTING WOOD, NOT RESISTING OR FIGHTING, JUST A CART WITH WOOD CLEARLY VISIBLE.
STILL, THEY WERE TARGETED.
THE ISRAELIS DID THIS INTENTIONALLY.
EVEN NOW HE SAYS THEY WILL KILL ANYONE WHO GOES THERE.
>> WELL, NOW THE IDF HAS RESPONDED, CONFIRMING THAT IT HAS ESTABLISHED A, QUOTE, BROAD MILITARY PRESENCE IN THE SECURITY ZONE ADJACENT TO ISRAEL, SAYING, QUOTE, THESE ACTIONS ARE ESSENTIAL IN ORDER TO PREVENT HAMAS AND OTHER TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS FROM OPERATING IN THE AREA WHILE ENSURING THE SECURITY OF IDF FORCES AND ISRAELI COMMUNITIES.
THE IDF INSISTS THEY'RE ACTING IN ACCORDANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW, DESPITE WHAT YOU JUST HEARD FROM JEREMY DIAMOND'S REPORTING.
AND A REMINDER, THAT THEY HAVE STILL NOT LET IN ANY INTERNATIONAL AID TO GAZA SINCE THE BEGINNING OF MARCH.
>>> NEXT, WE TURN TO AN ERA FROM WHICH PAINFUL LESSONS CAN BE LEARNED.
McCARTHYISM IN THE 1950s SAW A WITCH HUNT KNOWN AS THE RED SCARE AT THE HEIGHT OF THE COLD WAR.
THIS VERY DARK TIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY IS THE BACKDROP FOR A NEW PLAY HERE BY RYAN CALAIS CAMERON, ONE OF BRITAIN'S MOST EXCITING PLAYWRIGHTS, "RETROGRADE" TAKES AN EPISODE IN THE EARLY LIFE OF ACTOR SIDNEY POITIER.
THE GROUNDBREAKER OF GOLDEN AGE HOLLYWOOD WHO BECAME THE FIRST BLACK MAN TO WIN THE BEST ACTOR OSCAR.
THE PLAY CHARTS A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN POITIER'S CAREER, AND HE HAS TO DECIDE WHETHER TO ACCEPT STAR-MAKING CONTRACT WITH UGLY STRINGS ATTACHED.
RYAN CALAIS CAMERON CAME HERE TO THE STUDIO TO DISCUSS HIS LATEST PLAY AND WHAT ATTRACTED HIM TO THIS VERY AMERICAN STORY.
RYAN CALAIS CAMERON, THANK YOU FOR COMING IN.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> FROM A BUSY SCHEDULE WITH THIS NEW HIT WEST END PLAY.
THE THING IS, I WAS ASTONISHED TO READ THAT YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHO SIDNEY POITIER WAS WHEN YOU STARTED.
>> YEAH.
ABOUT A DECADE AGO, I HAD HEARD OF HIM.
I KNEW HE WAS SOMEONE THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT, BUT I WASN'T EDUCATED ON THIS MAN.
I DIDN'T KNOW HIS BRILLIANCE, OR HOW MUCH OF A TRAILBLAZER HE WAS, OR HOW SIGNIFICANT HE WAS ABOUT TO BE TO MY LIFE.
>> YOU HADN'T SEEN ANY OF HIS FILMS?
>> NO, I HADN'T.
I'D SEEN CLIPS, BLACK AND WHITE STUFF.
I THINK I WAS AT A STAGE IN MY CAREER WHERE ANYTHING BLACK AND WHITE, THAT'S OLD.
>> NOW YOU PARADE APPRECIATE IT?
>> OH, I APPRECIATE IT.
>> WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE SIDNEY POITIER?
LITERALLY, IF ANYBODY SEES THE PLAY, WHICH THEY DO, "RETROGRADE," IT'S A CASE STUDY ABOUT McCARTHYISM.
>> YEAH.
>> THROUGH ESSENTIALLY ONE DAY JUST ABOUT.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
>> A MEETING IN AN OFFICE.
>> 59 MINUTES.
FOR ME, IT WAS A CASE OF --I HATE NOT UNDERSTANDING SOMETHING, YOU KNOW.
I HATE FEELING IGNORANT.
FOR ME, IT WAS I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS MAN, BUT HE SEEMS TO HAVE SUCH SIGNIFICANCE AND TOONS A LOT OF PEOPLE.
THAT'S THE BEGINNING OF MY RESEARCH.
AND I WAS RESEARCHING A LOT OF STUFF.
THE MORE I RESEARCHED, THE MORE FASCINATED BY HIM, AND I CAME ACROSS THIS ARTICLE THAT HE WAS SPEAKING WITH OPRAH ABOUT ONE TIME THAT HE WAS AT NBC, AND HE ALMOST GOT BLACKLISTED.
WHAT?
I HAD HEARD ABOUT BLACKLISTING SO MUCH, SO MUCH.
I KNEW THAT KIND OF STUFF, BUT I NEVER HEARD IT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF BLACK ACTORS, SOMEONE WHO WAS ALREADY DEALING WITH JIM CROW, RED LINING AND NOW THIS.
THAT TO ME SOUNDS LIKE THE BEGINNING OF A STORY.
AND AS I CONTINUED TO READ ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM FOR HIS MEMOIRS, IT STARTED TO SOUND MORE LIKE A THRILLER.
I'LL BE WRITING.
THIS.
>> YOU KNOW, I SAID TO MY TEAM, I WAS ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT, BECAUSE I KNOW A LOT ABOUT THIS STUFF.
>> YEAH.
>> I HAD NO IDEA WHETHER HE WAS GOING TO SUBMIT OR NOT.
>> EXACTLY, EXACTLY.
>> LET'S GET TO IT.
SO NOW LET'S START WITH ONE OF THE EARLY MONOLOGUES FROM --OR DIALOGUES FROM THE PLAY.
SO HE IS IN THE MEETING WITH THE WRITER WHO IS GOING TO MAKE HIM THE STAR OF AN NBC PROGRAM THAT'S GOING TO SKYROCKET HIS CAREER.
>> YEAH.
>> AND THERE IS THE COMPANY LAWYER.
>> YES.
>> OR THE PRODUCTION GUY.
>> YEP, YEP.
>> AND HE SAYS, "YES, BUT. "
HERE IS WHAT SIDNEY POITIER SAYS ABOUT THE SCRIPT JUST HANDED TO HIM.
>> WHEN I GOT BOBBY'S SCRIPT FOR "TEN FEET FALL", I'M ON THE PHONE TO MARTY.
MARTY, I'M LEAFING THROUGH SCRIPT.
MARTY, I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PART IS.
HE SAYS, "BUDDY, IT'S TOMMY.
HE'S OFFERED YOU TOMMY. "
SEE, I THINK ABOUT THAT MOMENT A LOT.
I DIDN'T EVEN ASSUME WHEN BEING OFFERED SOMETHING, EVEN FROM A FRIEND, THAT I WOULD BE ONE OF THE CENTRAL STORYTELLERS WITHOUT CARICATURE OR STEREOTYPE.
SEE, I LOVE THIS MOVIE BECAUSE IT BRINGS SOMETHING OTHER WORLDLY THAT PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF CANNOT EVEN FATHOM.
MR.
PARKS, THIS ISN'T JUST A MOVIE.
IT'S A WHOLE MOVEMENT.
AND WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT IS IRRELEVANT.
GET READY.
WE'RE COMING.
EXPECT US.
>> SO THERE HE WAS EXPRESSING HIS JOY AND DELIGHT OF GETTING THIS LEADING ROLE.
>> YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
>> AND THEN THEY TELL HIM, BUT ACTUALLY, IT COMES WITH SOME VERY UGLY STRINGS ATTACHED.
>> EXACTLY.
IT COMES AT A PRICE.
>> THE PRICE IS?
>> HIS SOUL.
IT'S EVERYTHING THAT HE IS, THAT MADE HIM WHO HE IS.
HIS INTEGRITY.
AND HE HAS TO SELL OUT.
WE HAVE TO GIVE THE NAME OF - - I'M TRYING NOT TO GIVE TOO MUCH AWAY.
WE HAVE TO GIVE THE NAME WHO IS A MASSIVE GIANT OF A MAN, AN ICON TO HIM.
AND HE HAS TO CONSIDER WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO HIM, HIS INTEGRITY OR MOVING ALONG IN THIS INDUSTRY THAT HE IS A NEWCOMER IN.
AND THERE IS A LOT MORE STAKES THAN THAT, BUT YEAH.
I WANT PEOPLE TO SEE IT.
>> BECAUSE IT REALLY IS.
YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW, IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE FULL STORY.
>> EXACTLY.
>> AND YOU KNOW THAT SO MANY DID SELL OUT.
SO MANY PEOPLE WERE BLACKLISTED.
CHARLIE CHAPMAN, FOR INSTANCE, WAS BLACKLISTED.
>> EXACTLY.
>> PRETTY MUCH COULD NEVER WORK AGAIN AFTER THAT.
IT WAS REALLY SERIOUS.
AND A LOT OF ACTORS LIKE SIDNEY POITIER WHO HAD NO MONEY AND HAD A FAMILY AND KIDS.
>> YEAH.
>> THEY COULDN'T AFFORD.
>> EXACTLY.
>> AND THEN IT MOVES ON, AND WE'LL GET TO THE --I DON'T KNOW IF THE SPOILER ALERT OR WHAT.
THERE IS A MOMENT IN THE PLAY WHERE HE TALKS ABOUT --WELL, YOU WANTED TO PAY HOMAGE TO SOMETHING SIDNEY POITIER HAD DONE IN AN ACTUAL FILM CALLED "THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT" WHEN HE STARED DOWN AND ACTUALLY ENGAGED IN SOME PHYSICAL RETALIATION.
>> YEAH, YEAH YEAH.
>> SO TELL US WHAT YOU WERE TRYING TO DO WITH THAT.
I'M GOING PLAY THE CLIP.
THIS IS "HEAT OF THE NIGHT" SIDNEY POITIER AND THE PLANTATION OWNER.
>> WE WERE JUST TRYING TO CLARIFY SOME OF THE EVIDENCE.
WAS MR. KOHLBERG EVER IN THIS GREENHOUSE, SAY LAST NIGHT ABOUT MIDNIGHT?
>> SO?
>> THAT SLAP.
IT'S THE SLAP THAT ECHOES THROUGH GENERATIONS TO ME.
YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT WHOEVER YOU ARE, WHATEVER WALK OF LIFE, WHATEVER DECADE, YOU FEEL THE WEIGHT OF THAT.
AND I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT IT FELT LIKE FOR AN AUDIENCE SEEING THAT TIME, SOMEBODY THAT IS BEING -- HE IS IN A POSITION WHERE HE IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE OPPRESSED.
HE IS GOING TO BE A SIDE CHARACTER, WHATEVER.
I'VE HAD ENOUGH.
I'M SLAPPING BACK.
I NEED TO GET THAT MOMENT IN THIS.
>> HOW DID YOU GET IT IN, FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T SEE IT?
>> I THINK IT'S ABOUT SIDNEY TAKING OWNERSHIP OVER HIS IMAGE AND OVER THE PART THAT HE IS GOING TO TAKE.
AND A MOMENT IN THE PLAY WHERE HE TRULY BECOMES THE MAN THAT HE WAS BORN TO BE, YOU KNOW.
AND HE GETS ONE OVER ON THE BIG BAD GUY IN THIS PLAY, MR.
PARKS, WHICH NIGHT AFTER NIGHT GETS MASSIVE APPLAUSE FROM THE AUDIENCE.
BUT I WAS TRYING TO YES REST CREATE EVERY TIME I WATCH THAT SLAP, IT DOES THAT TO AN AUDIENCE.
A FIGHT EARLIER THIS YEAR AND EVERYONE CHEERED AGAIN.
I WANT THAT ESSENCE IN MY PLAY OF EVERYBODY COMING TOGETHER AND GOING, YES, THE GOOD GUY GETS HIS OWN BACK AT SOME POINT, YOU KNOW.
>> AND AGAIN, IT IS REALLY AWFUL WHAT THEY WERE ASKED TO DO, WHETHER THEY WERE BLACK OR WHITE OR MAN OR WOMAN.
THEY WERE TOLD TO DISAVOW ANY KIND OF POLITICAL AFFILIATION.
>> YEAH.
>> IN HIS CASE, CIVIL RIGHTS, MARTIN LUTHER KING.
AND THEN AS YOU SAID, DENOUNCE.
AND PAUL ROBESON ACTUALLY DID ADVOCATE COMMUNISM FOR BLACK PEOPLE OVER CAPITALISM, HAVING SEEN THE FAILURE OF CAPITALISM IN AMERICA FOR BLACK PEOPLE.
HE HAD GONE TO THE SOVIET UNION.
SO, AGAIN, THIS IS THE CREATIVE TENSION THROUGHOUT.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
>> DID YOU WRITE -- YOU DIDN'T WRITE IT WITH TODAY IN MIND.
BUT WHEN YOU SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY WITH ALL OF THIS ACTUALLY THEY'RE CALLING IT LIKE A NEW RED SCARE WHAT'S HAPPENING ON AMERICAN CAMPUSES.
>> YEAH.
>> ET CETERA.
>> YOU KNOW, I DID MY FIRST DRAFT IN 2018, RIGHT, AND WE WERE ON 2023.
IN BETWEEN THAT GAP WAS THE FIRST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
SO THERE WERE A LOT OF THINGS IN MY HEAD WHEN I WAS WRITING IT IF WE DON'T RECTIFY SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE SEEING TODAY, GUYS, IN THE FUTURE, WE MIGHT ACTUALLY GET SOMEWHERE THAT LOOKS A LOT LIKE THE WORLD IN RETROGRADE.
FLASH FORWARD FIVE YEARS, WE'RE THERE.
SO THERE ARE CERTAIN LINES NOW WHEN THEY HIT, AUDIENCES ARE LIKE DID YOU WRITE THAT TODAY?
FOR ME AS AN ARTIST, ONE POINT IS WOW, MY PLAY IS REALLY RELEVANT.
AND ALSO THIS IS REALLY SCARY.
THIS IS REALLY SCARY BECAUSE WHEN I WAS WRITING IT, IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A FEVER DREAM, AND NOW IT'S REALITY.
SO, YEAH, "RETROGRADE. "
IF WE DON'T LEARN FROM SOME OF THE THINGS IN OUR PAST, WE'RE DUE TO REPEAT THEM.
>> AND YOU HAVE SPOKEN A LOT ABOUT BEING INSPIRED BY A LOT OF AMERICANA, AMERICAN HISTORY, AMERICAN CULTURE.
YOU'VE TAKEN YOUR WORK TO THE UNITED STATES.
>> YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
>> DID THE PREVIOUS GO FOR "BLACK BOYS"?
>> I PLAYED --TWICE.
YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
>> SO WOULD YOU TODAY WANT TO TAKE THIS PLAY TO THE UNITED STATES IN THIS CLIMATE?
>> I THINK THIS PLAY BELONGS IN THE UNITED STATES.
IT FEELS LIKE WHEN I WROTE IT, IT HAD NEW YORK IN MIND.
IT'S GOT ITS ESSENCE THERE.
THE CHARACTERS ARE THERE.
IT BREATHES THAT KIND LIKE YOU AAMERICANA.
AND LIKE YOU WERE SAYING, IT'S MORE RELEVANT NOW THAN IT'S EVER BEEN.
YES, I THINK I'M SERIOUS TO THAT.
>> I'M FASCINATED BY ALSO WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT YOU ARE KIND OF AN UP AND COMING PLAYWRIGHT WHEN YOU STARTED.
AND THERE WAS A PROGRAM, A PHILANTHROPIC PROGRAM THAT ENABLED YOU TO ACTUALLY KEEP WRITING.
TELL ME ABOUT THAT.
>> A PLAYWRIGHT AWARD THAT IS CREATED BY SOPHIE AND DIANA.
AND THE INTENTION OF IT IS REALLY --WAS REALLY LOOKING AT AN INDUSTRY WHERE PLAYWRIGHTS OFTEN GET FORGOTTEN, DON'T EVEN HAVE ENOUGH MONEY FOR RENT, AND IS KIND OF GOING OKAY, COOL, WE'RE NOT GOING FORGET ABOUT YOU.
WE'RE GOING TO CREATE A COMMUNITY.
WE'RE GOING TO HOLD YOU, ADOPT YOU IN A SENSE AND RAISE MONEY TO BE ABLE TO ALLOW YOU TOE WRITE A PLAY.
GETTING COMMISSIONS ARE SO DIFFICULT NOWADAYS.
BUT AT A TIME WHEN I DID IT, WHICH WAS 2018, IT WAS 8,000 POUNDS TO BE ABLE THE WRITE A PLAY.
I MIGHT AS WELL HAVE BEEN A MILLIONAIRE THAT YEAR.
PAYING ME TO WRITE.
AND THAT GAVE ME THE TIME AND THE SPACE TO BE ABLE TO DO MY RESEARCH.
I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT.
I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT.
>> AND THIS AWARD OF DOCTOR PLAYWRIGHT.
>> IT'S ANY TYPE OF HARDSHIP, ANY NEEDS, ANY HELP.
DEFINITELY LOOK IT UP.
A DOCTOR PLAYWRIGHT AWARD.
>> IT BROUGHT US THIS PLAY.
YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T HAVE WRITTEN IT OTHERWISE.
>> AND THEY'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR DONATIONS.
>> MASCULINITY.
YOUR PREVIOUS PLAY "FOR BLACK BOYS" WAS ABOUT MASCULINITY, AND PARTICULARLY IN THE BLACK YOUNG COMMUNITY.
>> YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
>> AND OF COURSE ADOLESCENCE AND A LOT OF THAT SYSTEM COG OUT RIGHT NOW TALKING ABOUT MASCULINITY.
WHAT'S YOUR COMMENTARY ON THAT?
HOW DO YOU THINK THAT STORY IS BEING TOLD?
AND WHERE YOUR PLAY FITS IN, I GUESS.
>> I SUPPOSE FOR ME AS AN ARTIST, I'M TRYING TO GRAB THE NARRATIVE AND GO WELL, WHAT'S MY TWO CENTS ON IT.
AND EVEN IN SOMETHING "FOR BLACK BOYS," IT TOOK TEN YEARS BECAUSE HALF OF ME IS WRITING AS A VERY YOUNG MAN, AND THE SECOND IS ME OF A BIT OF AN OLDER MAN, AS A FATHER, SOMEONE IN MY COMMUNITY TALKING TO THAT YOUNGER MAN.
I THINK FOR ME THE NARRATIVE OFTEN IS ABOUT LOOK HOW BAD THESE KIDS ARE, AND I FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD ALSO LOOK AT THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH THESE KIDS ARE TRYING TO SURVIVE IN, YOU KNOW.
THE PARENTS, THE SCHOOLS, THE POLICE AND WHAT IS OUR JOB.
AND I THINK THAT'S A BIGGER NARRATIVE.
HOW ARE WE NURTURING THESE CHILDREN, AND WHAT INFLUENCES ARE THEY GETTING OF MASCULINITY, YOU KNOW.
IF YOU'RE IN A VIOLENT ENVIRONMENT, AND MEN ARE VERY ENVIRONMENT IN THAT ENVIRONMENT, NO WONDER WHY THIS KID IS ACTING IN THAT KIND OF WAY, THE WAY THAT MEN SPEAK ABOUT WOMEN.
>> DO YOU FEEL THAT IT IS ACTUALLY NOW PART OF THE CONVERSATION IN A WAY THAT YOU HOPED WHEN YOU WROTE?
>> 100%.
AGAIN, SEEING ADOLESCENTS RECENTLY WITH MY FAMILY, YOU'RE GOING OKAY, THIS IS SOMETHING ELSE.
KIND OF BREATHING MORE LIFE INTO THIS CONVERSATION.
I SUPPOSE WHEN YOU WATCH A PIECE OF ART LIKE THAT, THE NEXT THING IS NOW AS A COMMUNITY, WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT.
>> AND YOU HAVE FOUR SONS AS WE DISCUSSED.
>> EXACTLY.
EXACTLY.
SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO SHOW THEM POSITIVE OUTLETS FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO BE MEN, BUT ALSO DO IT IN A VERY POSITIVE WAY, YOU KNOW.
WE TALK ABOUT TOXIC MASCULINITY A LOT.
SO THAT'S GREAT.
BUT WHAT'S THE ANTITHESIS OF THAT.
WHAT DOES POSITIVITY LOOK LIKE.
>> WELL, AN AMAZING PLAY.
AND NOT GIVING AWAY THE SPOILER ALERT, DOES SIDNEY POITIER ACCEPT THESE UGLY STRINGS OR NOT?
>> I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT.
I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT.
>> IT'S REALLY GREAT.
RYAN CALAIS CAMERON, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> AND SIDNEY POITIER WAS ONE OF THOSE GREAT ROLE MODELS FOR MEN IN HIS TIME.
THE FIRST BLACK MAN TO WIN THE BEST ACTOR OSCAR.
IT WOULD BE ANOTHER 38 YEARS BEFORE DENZEL WASHINGTON PICKED UP THAT BATON AND WON HIS OSCAR.
AND OF COURSE AS RYAN SAID, HIS PLAY "RETROGRADE" IS ON RIGHT NOW AT LONDON'S APOLLO THEATER HERE UNTIL JUNE.
>>> TURNING NOW TO IMMIGRATION, YET ANOTHER LANDSCAPE BEING SIGNIFICANTLY TRANSFORMED BY TRUMP POLICIES.
THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY CHIEF KRISTI NOEM MET THIS WEEK WITH U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT AND ARIZONA LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENTS WHO ARE SEARCHING FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN THE PHOENIX AREA.
HERE IS WHAT SHE SAID YESTERDAY.
>> ALSO, WE'RE WORKING ON ENFORCING THE ALIEN ENEMIES ACT WHICH I'M SURE YOU SAW THE SUPREME COURT MADE A DECISION ON YESTERDAY.
AND WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO USE THAT TO DEPORT THE WORST OF THE WORST OUT OF OUR COMMUNITIES AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE FACING CONSEQUENCES.
>> SO THE CRACKDOWN HAS AFFECTED THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS.
BUT ONE PARTICULAR STORY HAS GRABBED ATTENTION.
CANADIAN ACTRESS AND ENTREPRENEUR JASMINE MOONEY WAS RECENTLY DETAINED BY I.C.E.
FOR 12 DAYS WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RENEW HER WORK VISA.
HARI SREENIVASAN SPOKE WITH HER ABOUT THIS EXPERIENCE AND DETENTION, AND WHY SHE IS USING HER VOICE NOW TO ADVOCATE FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM.
>> CHRISTIANE, THANKS.
JASMINE MOONEY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
JASMINE, OUR AUDIENCE MIGHT HAVE HEARD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR STORY.
YOU ARE SOMEBODY WHO IS AN ENTREPRENEUR AND ACTRESS, AND YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING IN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES.
BUT YOU WERE RECENTLY DETAINED FOR 12 DAYS.
WHY WERE YOU KIND OF BETWEEN THESE COUNTRIES?
AND WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO GO GET ANOTHER WORK VISA FOR THE UNITED STATES?
>> SO MY VISA JOURNEY STARTED A YEAR AGO.
I HAD THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO LAUNCH A BRAND CALLED HOLY WATER OUT OF CALIFORNIA WHICH IS HOLISTIC MEDICINE.
I ORIGINALLY APPLIED FOR MY TN VISA A YEAR AGO.
>> AND WHAT'S A TN VISA FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT NOT KNOW?
>> A TN VISA IS A BUSINESS CONSULTANT VISA.
AND SO I ORIGINALLY APPLIED FOR THAT VISA IN AT THE CANADIAN BORDER, AND I GOT DENIED OVER SOME MINOR PAPERWORK ISSUES, AND THE AGENT TOLD ME YOU CAN COME BACK TOMORROW.
SO MY DAUGHTER, HE WAS BASED IN SAN DIEGO, AND HE TOLD ME, YOU KNOW WHAT, JASMINE, COME DOWN TO SAN DIEGO.
I'LL COME WITH YOU TO THE OFFICE TO MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING IS MISSING IN YOUR PAPERWORK, AND WE'LL JUST GET THIS DONE.
SO THAT'S WHAT I DID.
AND I WENT DOWN THERE, AND I GOT MY VISA WITHIN HALF AN HOUR, AND I WAS THEN WORKING IN CALIFORNIA.
AND I STILL HAD MY PLACE IN CANADA, IN VANCOUVER.
SO I WAS GOING BACK AND FORTH, NO ISSUES THERE FOR JUST UNDER A YEAR.
AND THE FIRST ISSUE I HAD STARTED FOUR MONTHS AGO.
SO I WAS IN VANCOUVER TRAVELING BACK TO L.A., AND I GOT STOPPED, AND THE AGENT TOLD ME, HE'S LIKE WHY WERE YOU ORIGINALLY DENIED AND THEN WENT TO THE SAN DIEGO BORDER?
THAT SEEMS REALLY SHADY.
AND I EXPLAIN MID SITUATION.
AND HE TOLD ME, WELL, YOU AREN'T ALLOWED TO PROCESS VISAS THERE.
AND LONG STORY SHORT, THEY TOOK MY VISA AWAY.
>> WERE YOU IN AMERICA AT THE TIME OR WERE YOU IN CANADA AT THE TIME?
>> I WAS IN CANADA.
I WAS TRAVELING BACK TO L.A., AND THEY STOPPED ME, AND THEN I WASN'T ALLOWED BACK INTO THE COUNTRY.
UNTIL I GOT THAT SORTED.
SO I ACTUALLY GOT OFFERED ANOTHER POSITION WITH ANOTHER HEALTH AND WELLNESS BRAND, AND I TALKED TO LAWYERS.
I SAID I WANT THE REAPPLY FOR MY TN VISA AND WORK WITH THIS COMPANY.
THAT AN ISSUE?
THEY SAID NO.
WELL, I WANT TO GO TO THE SAME OFFICE THAT I WENT TO.
SHOULD THAT BE AN ISSUE?
NO.
THE WORST THAT WOULD HAPPEN IS YOU GET DENIED, LIKE YOU'VE BEEN DENIED BEFORE, AND THEN WE FIGURE THAT OUT AFTER THAT.
SO NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS DID I THINK THAT WHAT HAPPENED TO ME WOULD HAVE HAPPENED.
>> SO YOU WENT TO THE UNITED STATES TO THE CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION OFFICE.
THAT RIGHT?
>> SO IT WASN'T AMERICA.
IT'S THE MEXICAN BORDER THAT GOES INTO SAN DIEGO.
SO THAT'S WHERE MY VISA WAS PROCESSED BEFORE.
I WAS FAMILIAR WITH IT.
I HAD NO ISSUES.
AND SO I WENT BACK THERE.
>> SO YOU HAD NOT BEEN IN THE UNITED STATES ILLEGALLY UP UNTIL YOU WALKED ACROSS THE BORDER TO GO TO THE BORDER PATROL OFFICE.
AM I RIGHT THERE?
>> YES.
IT WAS THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE.
YOU WALK IN THROUGH MEXICO INTO THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE WHERE THEY PROCESS VISAS.
THAT'S WHERE I WAS.
>> OKAY.
AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS?
>> SO I GET THERE.
I HAVE ALL MY PAPERWORK.
AND IT WAS JUST SUCH A ROLLER COASTER.
FIRST THEY SAID I WASN'T ELIGIBLE FOR THIS VISA.
AND THEN THEY CALLED THEIR SUPERVISOR, AND I WAS.
AND THEN THEY APPROVE MID VISA, AND THEN I WAS SITTING DOWN, AND WHILE THEY WERE PROCESSING MY VISA, THEY SAID THAT THERE IS ISSUES WITH MY PASSPORT BECAUSE IT WAS GOING TO -PIRE IN TWO YEARS.
SO IT WAS JUST ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER.
I WAS IN THAT OFFICE FOR I THINK SIX HOURS.
AND FINALLY, AT THE VERY END, I WAS SITTING THERE.
AFTER THEY HAD SAID YES YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS VISA, I GET CALLED BACK UP.
AND THEY GO, OKAY, WE'RE SO SORRY, BUT, UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE YOU HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH YOUR VISA IN THE PAST, WITH THE DENIAL AND IT BEING VOIDED, IN ORDER TO GET YOUR VISA, YOU NEED TO APPLY THROUGH THE CONSULATE.
AND I SAID I AM SO SORRY, I HAD NO IDEA.
I'LL GO DO THAT.
AND THEY GO, IT'S OKAY.
YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG.
YOU'RE NOT IN TROUBLE.
YOU'RE NOT A CRIMINAL.
AND AT THE TIME, I THOUGHT THAT LANGUAGE WAS VERY ODD.
WHY WOULD THEY USE THAT.
AND THEY GO, BUT WE HAVE TO SEND YOU BACK TO CANADA.
AND I SAID OKAY.
LIKE I WAS PLANNING ON GOING BACK ANY WAY.
AND THEN THIS MAN CAME OUT, AND HE SAID "JASMINE, PLEASE FOLLOW ME."
AND HE TOOK ME TO THIS ROOM, AND THAT'S WHERE IT ALL HAPPENS.
AND WITH NO WARNING, ALL MY STUFF WAS TAKEN.
MY PHONE WAS TAKEN.
HANDS AGAINST THE WALL.
I STARTED GETTING PAT-DOWN.
THEY SAID TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES AND THEY STARTED RIPPING MY SHOELACES OUT OF MY SHOES, WHICH AT THE TIME I HAD NO IDEA WHAT THAT MEANT.
AND THEN LATER ON FOUND OUT THAT'S SO YOU DON'T HANG YOURSELF IN PRISON.
WAS TAKEN AND I WAS PLACED INTO A CELL WITH FIVE OTHER GIRLS WHERE WE SLEPT ON THE GROUND, ON THIS TINY MATT AND HAD ALUMINUM FOIL WRAPPED AROUND OUR BODIES, LIKE DEAD BODIES.
AND I WAS IN THERE FOR 48 HOURS BEFORE ANYONE TALKED TO ME OR I WAS ALLOWED TO MAKE A PHONE CALL.
I DIDN'T GET THAT PHONE CALL UNTIL DAY THREE.
>> AND THEN WHERE --DID YOU STAY IN THAT JAIL THE WHOLE TIME?
OR WHERE WERE YOU TRANSFERRED?
>> I WAS STILL IN THAT JAIL, AND THEN AFTER THAT CALL, I WAS GIVEN A STACK OF PAPERWORK THAT TOLD ME THAT I WAS BANNED FROM AMERICA FOR FIVE YEARS UNLESS I APPEAL AND GO THROUGH THE CONSULATE.
SIGN HERE, SIGN HERE, SIGN HERE, AND THEN THE WOMAN TOLD ME IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU SIGN OR NOT, THIS IS HAPPENING REGARDLESS.
AND I SAID HOW LONG AM I GOING TO BE HERE?
I'LL BOOK MY FLIGHT HOME.
AND SHE GOES I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG YOU'RE GOING TO BE HERE.
I'M JUST DOING MY JOB.
AND THEN THAT IS WHEN THEY TRANSFERRED ME TO OTAY MESA, THE FIRST JAIL THAT I WAS IN.
>> I'M SORRY, HOW MANY JAILS WERE YOU IN?
>> I WAS IN TWO.
I WAS IN TWO JAILS.
I WAS TRANSFERRED THREE TIMES.
WHEN THEY TRANSFER YOU, THEY PUT YOU IN CHAINS.
I HAD CHAINS WRAPPED AROUND MY WAIST, HANDCUFFS ON MY HANDS.
THAT WERE ATTACHED TO MY WAIST.
HANDCUFFS ON MY FEET.
THEY TRANSFER YOU -- THAT'S WHEN I GOT TRANSFERRED TO OTAY MESA.
AND THEN A FEW DAYS LATER, THEY TRANSFERRED ME TO ARIZONA.
>> WHAT WAS THE TREATMENT LIKE?
WHAT WERE THE PEOPLE THAT WERE IN THERE WITH YOU LIKE?
>> THE FIRST JAIL I WAS IN I WOULD SAY THERE WERE ABOUT 140 GIRLS, WOMEN.
AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM NOT ONE OF US HAD A CRIMINAL RECORD.
SO WHEN YOU'RE PLACED IN JAIL, THE COLOR OF YOUR PRISON OUTFIT REFLECTS YOUR CRIMINAL STATUS.
SOY WAS PLACED IN THE UNIT WITH ZERO CRIMINAL RECORDS.
EVERYONE'S STORY WAS DIFFERENT OF WHY THEY WERE IN THERE, BUT A LOT OF SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE WOMEN.
AND I HAD --I GOT OUT WITHIN TWO WEEKS.
THE MAJORITY OF THE WOMEN ARE IN THERE FOR MONTHS.
AND I'M TELLING YOU, THAT PLACE, THESE DETENTION CENTERS, EVERYTHING IN THERE IS MADE TO MAKE YOU BREAK INTO A MILLION PIECES.
I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE.
I HAD NO IDEA THAT THIS EXISTED FOR THE NONCRIMINALS.
LIKE THEY WOULD JUST DO THE WEIRDEST THINGS.
LIKE WE'D GET PLACED INTO THESE CELLS THAT WERE FREEZING COLD.
I'M TALKING ON WE'D BE ON THE GROUND HUDDLING, SHIVERING.
WE'RE GOING TO GET HYPOTHERMIA IN HERE.
NO BLANKETS, NOTHING.
THEY WOULD WAKE YOU UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
THE FOOD WAS NOT FOOD.
I WOULDN'T EVEN FEED TO IT A DOG.
THE WATER WAS FROM TAP WATER, FROM OUR TOILETS.
THEY'D GIVE YOU ONE STYROFOAM CUP AND ONE PLASTIC SPOON TO REUSE AFTER EVERY MEAL.
THE SECOND JAIL I WAS IN, WE DIDN'T GET TO STRETCH OUR LEGS AND BE --AND IT'S NOT EVEN FRESH AIR.
IT'S LIKE ANOTHER CELL WITH A TINY SLIVER OF FRESH AIR.
AND WE DIDN'T GET TO GO OUT THERE UNTIL DAY FOUR.
AND THE THING WITH THIS PLACE IS IF YOU GO TO JAIL, YOU'RE SENTENCED, AND YOU KNOW WHEN YOU'RE GETTING OUT.
IN HERE, YOU HAVE NO IDEA.
AND THESE WOMEN HAVEN'T SEEN THEIR HUSBANDS.
THEY HAVEN'T SEEN THEIR CHILDREN.
THEY'RE LOSING THEIR JOBS.
IT'S JUST --I HONESTLY COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS IS HAPPENING.
>> WHAT WERE THE RANGE OF REASONS WHY SOME OF THE WOMEN THAT WERE IN THAT FACILITY WITH YOU SAID THAT THEY WERE THERE?
>> SO THERE WERE A LOT OF FREAK ACCIDENTS LIKE ME.
I MET THIS ONE WOMAN WHO HER AND HER HUSBAND HAVE WORKING VISAS IN AMERICA.
THEY'RE BOTH PASTORS, AND THEY WERE ON A ROAD TRIP IN SAN DIEGO, AND THEY ACCIDENTALLY WENT INTO THE WRONG LANE AND WERE ABOUT TO CROSS THE MEXICAN BORDER, AND THEY STOPPED THEIR CAR, AND THEY SAID NO, NO, NO, WE CAN'T CROSS THE BORDER.
WE DON'T HAVE OUR PASSPORTS.
AND THE GUARD WAS LIKE OKAY, YEAH, YEAH, GO ON AHEAD AND TURN AROUND.
AND THEN THEY GOT PUT INTO THE SYSTEM.
I MET PEOPLE SIMILAR TO ME WHO GOT TAKEN FROM THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE WHILE THEY WERE REAPPLYING.
AND THEN YOU HAVE ALL OF THE WOMEN FROM COUNTRIES ALL OVER THE WORLD WHO HAVE COME TO AMERICA TO SEEK ASYLUM.
SO ALL DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS.
BUT WE'RE ALL PLACED IN THIS CELL TOGETHER.
>> SO HOW DID YOU FINALLY GET OUT?
WHAT WAS THE THING THAT ACTUALLY WORKED IN GETTING -- WAS THEIR ATTENTION OR WHAT HAPPENED?
>> NOTHING IS FOR CERTAIN, BUT WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS WHEN I WAS PLACED INTO THE SECOND JAIL, I STARTED FREAKING OUT BECAUSE OF THE CONDITIONS.
AND ONE OF THE GIRLS GAVE ME HER PHONE CALL BECAUSE FOR SOME REASON, SHE COULD SET UP HER PHONE ACCOUNT.
BUT BECAUSE MY NUMBER WAS A CANADIAN NUMBER, I COULDN'T.
AND SHE GAVE ME HER CALL.
I CALLED MY FRIEND THAT GOT ME TO THE MEDIA THAT SHE HAD FOUND WHO HAD JUST DONE CASE REPORTS ON TWO OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN IN THE DETENTION CENTERS.
AND HE BLASTED MY STORY.
AND I CALLED MY LAWYER THE NEXT DAY.
I.C.E.
CALLED MY LAWYER THE NEXT DAY.
WHO KNOWS, BUT THE TIMING SUGGESTS THAT IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE NEWS.
>> DO YOU FEEL PRIVILEGED?
>> I AM 100% PRIVILEGED.
THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT REALLY, REALLY CAME TO ME WHEN I WAS IN THERE, AND THAT IS WHY I'VE BEEN SO VOCAL ABOUT THIS STORY, BECAUSE THIS ISN'T MY STORY.
THIS IS THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF WOMEN THAT ARE PLACED IN THESE SYSTEMS THAT DO NOT HAVE MY PRIVILEGE.
AND I TELL EVERYONE I HAD RESOURCES.
I HAD A CANADIAN PASSPORT.
I HAD LAWYERS.
I HAD POLITICIANS.
I HAD MEDIA.
AND IT STILL TOOK ME ALMOST TWO WEEKS TO GET OUT OF THERE.
CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE WHAT THESE OTHER WOMEN ARE GOING THROUGH.
>> SO WE REACHED OUT TO THE CBP.
AND WHILE THE CBP HAS NOT RESPONDED, I.C.E.
SAID IN PART, JASMINE MOONEY WAS DETAINED MARCH 3rd BY U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT FOR NOT HAVING LEGAL DOCUMENTATION TO BE IN THE UNITED STATES.
MOONEY WAS PROCESSED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SECURING OUR BORDERS EXECUTIVE ORDER DATED JANUARY 21st, ALL ALIENS IN VIOLATION OF U.S. IMMIGRATION LAW MAY BE SUBJECT TO ARREST, DETENTION, AND IF FOUND REMOVABLE BY FINAL ORDER, REMOVED FROM THE U.S.
REGARDLESS OF NATIONALITY.
WHAT'S YOUR REACTION TO THEIR STATEMENT?
>> WELL, ONE THING I DO KNOW IS, FOR INSTANCE, WHEN I WAS PLACED INTO PRISON, I TOLD EVERY SINGLE GUARD I WILL PAY FOR MY FLIGHT.
PLEASE, SOMEONE, CAN I TALK TO MY I.C.E.
OFFICER.
I WROTE IN THE TABLET, I WILL PAY FOR MY FLIGHT.
AND WHEN MY STORY BROKE TO THE MEDIA, I.C.E.
CONTACTED MY LAWYER FOR THE FIRST TIME AS SOON AS IT RELEASED, AND THEY TOLD THEM, OH, YEAH, JASMINE'S HERE.
WE WEREN'T AWARE THAT SHE WOULD PAY FOR HER FLIGHT HOME.
NO PROBLEM.
WE'LL GET HER OUT TOMORROW.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEIR STATEMENT MEANS BECAUSE I WAS IN THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE APPLYING LEGALLY.
I'VE HAD SO MANY LAWYERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY LOOK AT MY PAPERWORK.
THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND IT.
IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
>> YOU'VE SAID THAT SOME OF THESE WOMEN GAVE YOU LETTERS FOR YOU TO MAIL WHEN YOU GOT OUTSIDE.
>> UH-HUH.
>> IS THAT RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
SO WHAT HAPPENED, WE WERE PLACED IN THE SECOND JAIL, THERE WERE LIKE WE DON'T KNOW HOW LONG WE'RE GOING TO BE IN HERE, JASMINE.
YOU ARE FOR SURE GETTING OUT BEFORE ANY OF US.
CAN YOU PLEASE CONTACT OUR FAMILIES, BECAUSE I WAS LIKE I'M GOING TO BE SO VOCAL ABOUT THIS.
AND THEY ARE JUST USE OUR STORIES.
AS PROOF, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE, LISTEN, I'M SITTING HERE TELLING YOU WHAT WE WENT THROUGH.
I DON'T HAVE PROOF.
I DON'T HAVE VIDEOS.
I DON'T HAVE PHOTOS OF THE CONDITIONS.
IT'S MY WORD, RIGHT.
AND SO AND THEN A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE EXTREMELY SCARED TO TALK ABOUT THIS.
WHEN I GOT OUT OF PRISON, I'VE HAD SO MANY PEOPLE DM ME WHO WERE PLACED IN THE SYSTEM.
AND I WAS WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO COME FORWARD IN TALKING?
AND THEY WERE NO.
THEY SUFFER FROM SO MUCH PTSD, FROM TRAUMA.
THEY'RE SCARED, YOU KNOW.
THIS IS SCARY.
PEOPLE THINK I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS BECAUSE WHAT IF I GET BANNED FOR LIFE OR I GET IN TROUBLE OR THEY COME AFTER ME.
AND SO IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE TO TALK ABOUT THIS.
>> RIGHT NOW FOR YOU, YOU ARE OFFICIALLY BANNED FROM THE UNITED STATES FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
>> THERE IS A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT COULD HAPPEN.
EITHER MY BAN GETS RESCINDED, WHICH I'M HOPING THAT MIGHT HAPPEN.
OR I AM GOING TO BE APPEALING IT.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THOSE THINGS JUST TAKE TIME.
SO I MEAN, WHO KNOWS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS WITH EVERYTHING, RIGHT.
>> YOU'RE NOT ADVOCATING FOR OPEN BORDERS PER SE.
YOUR CRITIQUE IS OF THE PROCESS AND HOW PEOPLE ARE BEING TREATED.
IS THAT ACCURATE?
>> 100%.
SO I WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR.
I DO NOT SUPPORT BEING IN ANY COUNTRY ILLEGALLY.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE PROPER DOCUMENTATION.
WHAT I'M BEING AN ADVOCATE FOR IS IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE DEPORTED FROM AMERICA OR WHEREVER, YOU SHOULD NOT --THERE IS NO REASON ANYONE SHOULD BE PLACED INTO THESE SYSTEMS AND STUCK IN THERE FOR WEEKS TO MONTHS.
I'M TALKING MONTHS, OKAY.
AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, THE CONDITIONS ON WHICH YOU ARE TREATED IN THESE FACILITIES.
AND THEN WHEN I GOT OUT, I DID A LOT OF RESEARCH, AND WHAT I FOUND IS THIS IS A BUSINESS.
AND I REALLY --AS THINGS REALLY STARTED TO MAKE SENSE, OH, SO OF COURSE, I'M A BUSINESSWOMAN.
THEY'RE CUTTING COSTS EVERYWHERE THAT THEY CAN WHEN YOU ARE IN THESE FACILITIES.
THEY HAVE NO INCENTIVE TO GET PEOPLE OUT BECAUSE THE MORE PEOPLE THAT ARE PLACED INTO THESE SYSTEMS AND THE LONGER THEY STAY AND THE MORE TRANSFERS THEY DO, THE MORE MONEY THEY MAKE.
ON TOP OF IT, THESE ARE TAXPAYER DOLLARS.
SO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE PAYING FOR THIS TO HAPPEN, BECAUSE THESE CORPORATIONS ARE GETTING GRANTS FROM THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.
SO WHEN YOU REALLY PUT ALL THE PIECES TOGETHER, IT STARTS TO MAKE SENSE, AND THAT IS WHAT I'M ADVOCATING FOR.
WHY WAS I, A CANADIAN, WHO MY FRIENDS ENDED UP PAYING FOR MY FLIGHT HOME, AND I SPENT 12 DAYS IN JAIL BEING TREATED LIKE THIS SCUM OF THE EARTH, LIKE A CRIMINAL.
AND THEY KEEP SAYING TO THIS DAY, I STILL DO NOT HAVE A CRIMINAL RECORD, BUT I HAD AN INMATE ID, MUG SHOTS, FINGERPRINTED, IN A JAIL UNIFORM, IN CHAINS.
FOR 12 DAYS.
SO.
THAT SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING.
>> JASMINE MOONEY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
>> OF COURSE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
I'M SO GRATEFUL.
>> SOME PEOPLE ALARMED BY THESE REPORTS AND EXPERIENCES AT THE U.S. BORDER ARE STAYING AWAY.
INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS TO THE UNITED STATES ARE PLUMMETING.
PRELIMINARY FEDERAL DATA PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY SHOWS VISITS TO THE U.S. FROM OVERSEAS HAVE FALLEN 11% IN MARCH COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.
THAT COULD MEAN A $9 BILLION DROP IN TOURISM SPENDING INSIDE THE U.S.
ACCORDING TO ONE INDUSTRY EXPERT GROUP.
>>> AND FINALLY, A WIN FOR THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND FREEDOM OF THE PRESS.
A JUDGE HAS ORDERED THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO RESTORE THE AP'S APPROPRIATE WHITE HOUSE ACCESS.
IN A STATEMENT, THE AP SAID THEY'RE GRATIFIED BY THE COURT'S DECISION AND LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO PROVIDE FACTUAL, NONPARTISAN AND INDEPENDENT COVERAGE OF THE WHITE HOUSE FOR BILLIONS OF PEOPLE ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
BY THE WAY, THERE IS ANOTHER PLAY ABOUT McCARTHYISM ON RIGHT NOW.
IT'S CALLED "GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK" AND IT'S ON BROADWAY.
IT STARS GEORGE CLOONEY AS EDWARD R. MURROW, THE PATRON SAINT OF BROADCAST JOURNALISM WHOSE TENACIOUS AND COURAGEOUS WORK HELPED BRING THE RED BETA DOWN.
>> HONESTY, FACTS, INTEGRITITIVE, ACCURACY.
>> THREE, TWO, ONE.
>> TRUTH.
GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK.
>> I GOT THE MUG SO EVERYBODY, GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK.
SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT TIME.
BYE-BYE FROM LONDON.
Held by ICE for 12 Days Over Visa Renewal, Canadian Actress Tells Her Story
Video has Closed Captions
Jasmine Mooney joins the show. (18m 39s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipSupport for PBS provided by: