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Connect the World

Marine Le Pen's Staff Under Spotlight; Hundreds of Violations in Ukraine's Fragile Ceasefire; The Push to Retake Western Mosul; Story of Somali Family Separated by Travel Ban. 10:00-11:00a ET

Aired February 22, 2017 - 10:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[10:00:13] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will have strong borders again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LYNDA KINKADE, HOST: Immigration crackdown, U.S. Trump's tough stance leaves many undocumented immigrants living in fear of deportation. Coming

up, we look at the ramifications of Donald Trump's policy.

Also ahead, another scandal in the French presidential campaign. This time Marine Le Pen's staff are under the spotlight. Details on that are ahead.

And truth in name only. After hundreds of violations, a ceasefire in Ukraine is on shaky ground. An update on the situation there later this

hour.

Hello. I'm Lynda Kinkade in for Becky Anderson. We begin with two memos that could affect millions of people. Donald Trump's administration has

issued tough new orders to crack down on illegal immigrants, making good on one of the president's signature campaign promises.

The orders dramatically widen the net for deportations, even a simple traffic violation could end up splitting families apart.

As Joe Johns reports, immigrant communities right across the United States are now on edge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: We will have strong borders again.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Under the new guidelines the majority of the country's 11 million undocumented immigrants could now face

deportation.

SEAN SPICER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Everybody who is here illegally is subject to removal at any time, but the priority that the president has

laid forward and the priority that ICE is putting forward, through DHS's guidance, is to make sure that the people who have committed a crime or

pose a threat to our public safety are the priority of their efforts.

JOHNS: But the Trump administration's new guide lines direct immigration and border agents to deport any undocumented immigrant, charged, convicted

or even suspected of a crime. Even minor crimes like a traffic violation or shoplifting; and crossing the border illegally is technically criminal.

SEN. ROBERT MENENDEZ (D), NEW JERSEY: Anyone who is found in an undocumented status would ultimately be apprehended and deported, with due

process totally eroded.

JOHNS: The rules, replacing more restrained policies followed by previous administrations. Under Obama, ICE focused mainly on deporting those

convicted of serious crimes. And anyone arrested within two weeks of illegally crossing the border could face expedited deportation. Now, anyone

arrested within two years of crossing the border could be deported without due process.

Immigration officers now have greater authority to decide who stays and who goes.

REP. DEVIN NUNES (R), CALIFORNIA: The tightrope that the administration will have to walk will be what do they do with the people that are here?

What do they do with the young people? Someone who was 2 years old when they were brought to this country. And that's going to be difficult.

JOHNS: The White House emphasizing that President Obama's program protecting DREAMers, those brought to the U.S. as children, won't be

targeted.

TRUMP: They were brought here in such a way. It's a very -- it's a very, very tough subject. We're going to deal with DACA with heart.

JOHNS: But the hardline immigration policy is sparking fear in immigrant communities.

GREISA MARTINEZ, UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT: We're concerned about what Donald Trump means for our family. Does that mean that we will be separated from

our mother, just like we were separated from our father nine years ago?

JOHNS: Meanwhile, President Trump caving to pressure, condemning rising anti-Semitism during a visit to the African-American History Museum.

TRUMP: The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible and are painful and a very sad reminder of

the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil.

JOHNS: Before this, the president skirted the issue in news conference since taking office.

TRUMP: I am the least anti-Semitic person that you've ever seen in your entire life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, let's take a closer look at the new orders on illegal immigrant. We're joined by CNN legal analyst Paul Callan he's a criminal

defense attorney and a former prosecutor. Good to have you with us, Paul.

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Nice to be with you, Lynda.

KINKADE: Just before we get into the details of these memos, just talk to us about the legalities, the 11 million undocumented people in the United

States. What makes someone an illegal immigrant?

CALLAN: The U.S. has rather extensive sets of regulations as to who can enter and who can not enter the country and remain. Now, people come in on

visas. Those visas expire, say a student visa - if you no longer are going to a university and complying with it, that visa expires. You become

illegal.

Of course, if you illegally cross the border into the United States, you are here illegally. And that number of people who are in the country

illegally is said to be in the range of more than 10 million people. So, there's an enormous population.

Now, through the years, each administration has been very, very careful about not pushing too hard to deport, because of this huge number. There

have been deportations going on all along, but we've seen a very careful policy that didn't, you know, create as much public fear as the policy

we're seeing in place now.

[10:05:42] KINKADE: And Paul, off the top of your head, do you know how many people were deported under the Obama administration?

CALLAN: I don't know the exact figure, but it was a very high number. And his number, as a matter of fact, was higher than the number that Trump was

deporting, you know, in the first couple of weeks of the presidency.

The Obama number, I believe, was also higher than George Bush's number. So, it's a myth to think that the Obama administration was not enforcing

deportation laws, they were. But nobody has tried to go after all 10 million, because that seemed to be an insurmountable problem. So it's been

targeted deportations as opposed to mass deportations in the past.

KINKADE: So, Paul, looking at these new memos, the Trump administration has essentially put out a new rulebook to deal with undocumented migrants,

it includes the power to swiftly deport people without a court hearing. Just explain what else is in these memos?

CALLAN: Well, the deportation process I think would surprise a lot of Americans. We're used to a court system that you know gives people jury

trials and gives them an extensive number of rights - appointed lawyers and so on and so forth.

The deportation process really is an entirely different matter. It's an administrative court system that operates separately from the regular

federal court system. You have far fewer constitutional rights accorded to you and most Americans I think would be surprised at how few rights are

accorded to illegal, undocumented individuals in the United States.

KINKADE: OK, Paul, we'll hae to leave it there, but we are continue to follow this issue. Paul Callan, great to have you with us. Thanks so

much.

CALLAN: Thank you. Lynda.

KINKADE: Well, the U.S. immigration orders could lead to massive hardship for Mexico. Anyone who crosses the U.S.-Mexican border illegally could be

sent back to Mexico whether they are Mexican or not.

Many migrants from Honduras, Guatemala, and other central American countries attempt the dangerous journey every single year. Some Mexicans

fear the country would have to build new border facilities to handle all the migrants sent back.

Well, all of this is expected to come up today when key U.S. officials visit Mexico City. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security

Secretary John Kelly will meet very soon with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Also today, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan and other congressional Republicans will get a firsthand look at security along the Mexican border.

Well, let's get some more details now from CNN's Leyla Santiago who joins us live from Mexico City.

Leyla, there's no doubt that there are frosty relations right now between the U.S. and Mexico. What is the mood going to be like when these two

senior members of the Trump administration meet with the Mexican president?

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think a lot of people are waiting to see what is the tone that comes out of these two meetings, given

that the tone that this new administration has had thus far isn't one that is really resonated with Mexicans in a good way, given some of the comments

that Trump has made during the campaign and the back and forth between the two presidents - President Trump and President Enrique Pena Nieto on

Twitter.

So, we are expecting Secretary Tillerson to arrive tonight.

Also coming in will be Secretary Kelly, both will - this will be a first for both under their new titles. This will be the first bilateral trip for

Tillerson as Secretary of State, and for Kelly as well, this will be a first in the region as secretary of homeland security. You can expect them

to talk about trade and NAFTA as well as immigration.

KINKADE: And speaking about immigration, Leyla, Donald Trump in the past has referred to Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals. Now he wants

to ramp up deportations. How is Mexico reacting to the details of this new memo?

SANTIAGO: You know, we really haven't heard much when it comes to government officials. And that could be because of the timing of this,

given that they have these two big names coming to Mexico today.

So, from government officials, we haven't heard much.

But when you talk to Mexicans, and specifically those I have spoken with at the border, some who have been deported, it's a bit of a different tone. I

want to play for you the conversation that I had with a man, his name is Moises Vazquez. He has family in the U.S., New Jersey to be exact, and he

has been deported three times under the Obama administration as well as under the Trump administration.

Listen to what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANTIAGO (on camera): He's saying that a border wall would not stop him from going back. He's saying Donald Trump can put four or five walls, and

that won't keep him from migrating up to the U.S. because he wants to find a way to be with his family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: And I've got to tell you, Lynda, that's not the only time we heard that same exact sentiment. That was echoed, as we talked to people

on the border who had plans to cross illegally within the near future.

So, I think the message is certainly heard that a President Trump wants to crack down on illegal immigration, but I'm not sure that those who are

trying to get to the U.S. are necessarily paying attention to this.

KINKADE: All right, Leyla Santiago, we'll have to leave it there for now. But no doubt, we will be talking to you very soon about this matter.

Thanks so much.

Well, as the U.S. cracks down on undocumented immigrants within its borders, the world is bracing for another potential bombshell from the

White House. President Trump is about to release a new version of his controversial travel ban. You'll remember the first was blocked in court.

Well, our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson joins me now live from Istanbul. Good to have you with us, Nic.

When the first executive order was rolled out, there were so many people caught mid-flight stranded at airports right around the world. Are people

there nervous about a new ban about to be rolled out?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think people have been nervous since the first ban was rolled out. I mean, there were

people who literally showed up in the United States, as we know, that had visas that they thought were valid, were taken in border control and some

of them, because they didn't know better, if you will, and didn't know how things would turn out in the courts, actually agreed to be sent back home

with their visas stamped canceled.

They've been put in a very difficult situation. Others, of course, took the opportunity as soon as the courts took their position holding the

travel ban in abeyance went to the United States.

I mean, Istanbul, for example, here in Turkey, Ataturk Airport, they had scores of people who weren't allowed onto flights last time. Turkish

airlines were offering to pay, refund them for their tickets. We've talked to the airline this time. They say they don't have any new information at

the moment. But you had as well here Turkish parliamentarians, two deputy prime ministers, one saying that, you know, Turkey would open its doors to

this global talent that the United States was turning away and others, another deputy prime minister here criticizing the United States, saying

that it's a diverse country and decisions like this can only exacerbate and create division.

But, you know, Turkey here has about 2.9 million refugees living in the country from Syria, close to 5 million Syrian refugees around the world.

So, there are a number of Syrians here who would like to make that journey to the United States to join families, or just escape the war. So, it's

going to affect people, but I think this time it's a little bit more forewarned, and the indications are perhaps that the administration swill

ramp this up in a more transparent way, if you will, so people will have an idea about what's going to happen.

But undoubtedly the uncertainty here, for all those people that would like to, you know, to get on with their lives and rebuild lives, talking here

about doctors studying in the United States, Syrian doctors on student visas studying in the United States, people who can contribute to society

really have question marks over their future right now.

KINKADE: Wow, we will wait and see whether it is this gradual rollout that we are expecting. Nic Robertson, great to have you with us as always.

Thank you.

Well, a scandal over alleged fake jobs is rocking the campaign of French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen. Her chief of staff and bodyguard

have been questioned and placed into custody over allegations that they were paid for jobs that don't exist at the European Parliament. Le Pen's

right-wing National Front Party has responding, blaming the media for trying to hurt her bid for France's top job.

Well, Melissa Bell is tracking developments for us. She is live in Paris. Melissa, firstly, just take us through the arrests, but what are they

accused of, and are they likely to be charged by anti-fraud police?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, that questioning is going on even now, Lynda. Police here in France have 48 hours in which to question these

two top aides of Marine Le Pen.

Now, this is the French part of an investigation that really has to be traced back to Strasbourg. Both were paid for jobs as parliamentary

assistance. Marine Le Pen is, of course, an MEP. She's a member of the European Parliament. They were paid European salaries for work that the

European parliament alleges was not carried out.

Now, this has already been looked into by the office against corruption in Strasbourg, the European anti-fraud office, which found that Marine Le Pen

was going to have to pay back some 340,000 euros. So, it found against Marine Le Pen, judging that indeed these two people - and they're not the

only ones accused, other parliamentary assistance of MEPs of the National Front are also included in this investigation - but these two were found by

the anti-fraud office in Brussels to have been paid for work they never carried out.

Now, this is now being looked at by French authorities in the context of a French investigation. Now, that questioning goes on for - it can go on for

two days. And the two people really are now being talked to by French police in (inaudible) just outside of Paris, very close to the offices of

the National Front. The offices were raided as part of this inquiry on Monday, Lynda.

[10:16:27] KINKADE: All right, Melissa Bell, would love to talk more about this. Of course, there is another French presidential candidate affected

by jobs scandal. We will talk to you about it soon. Melissa Bell, thank you.

Well, still to come, fighting is intensifying around Mosul Airport. We are live in northern Iraq with the latest on the final push to drive ISIS out

of its major stronghold in the country.

Also, hundreds of violations, but the shaky truce in eastern Ukraine still stands. An update on that after a very short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World with me, Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.

Well, we want to bring you up to speed on three major conflicts happening right across the world right now. In eastern Ukraine, a truce that appears

to exist only in name. Hundreds of violations last night alone.

To Iraq now where government forces continue to push towards western Mosul in an effort to claim half of that city back from ISIS.

And in Syria, as more peace talks are set to begin.

Now, in Geneva right now those talks are under way. After months of deadlock, the various parties head back to the negotiating table facing a

completely changed political and military landscape. Russia's intervention into the conflict has helped Syrian President Bashar al-Assad advance on

the battlefield.

Still, the rivals are at loggerheads over what part he will play in the country's future.

Right now, the United Nations Syrian envoy Stefan de Mistura, is speaking there as you can see in Geneva. He says the Syrian ceasefire is fragile,

but holding by and large.

Well, Iraqi troops are pounding ISIS targets from a hilltop overlooking the airport in Mosul. The airport is the next big objective in their push to

take back the western half of the city. Mosul is the last major ISIS stronghold in the country.

Senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is in Irbil in northern Iraq and joins us now live. Ben, good to have you with us.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians are living in the western part of the city. People there trying to leave. Are there any evacuations underway?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, evacuations, Lynda, really impossible given that ISIS would not welcome such a development.

We saw in the eastern part of the city when the battle was raging there that the Iraqi army did establish what they called safe passageways out of

the city, but we spoke to people who were fleeing it and said that they came under fire from ISIS snipers, so there's no cooperation when it comes

to the well-being if civilians, whether it's in the east or the west.

I spoke to a representative of the Norwegian Refuge Council. It's very active in this part of northern Iraq, who said that at this point they

haven't seen a great surge of people leaving the city. There are, according to the UN about 800,000 civilians in the western part of Mosul.

So far, most of the fighting has been in areas that were already abandoned by civilians, but those who are staying in the city are enduring some very

difficult times. Even before this phase of the offensive in Mosul began, they were suffering from shortages of food and medicine. They're having to

drink water out of contaminated wells, which of course raises the specter of disease. But at this point there's no, it appears, exodus of civilians

from western Mosul - Lynda.

KINKADE: All right, Ben Wedeman, we'll have to leave it there for now. Thanks so much for that update.

And we do have some insightful analysis on the battle for Mosul on our web site. CNN's Tim Lester breaks down five key questions about the retaking

of western Mosul from ISIS and why the city matters in the fight against the terror group. You can find that and much more by heading to CNN.com.

Well, in Europe, eastern Ukraine is a hotspot the new White House administration will have to deal with. The country Russia has

traditionally seen as being firmly in its sphere of its influence. Taht shaky ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and Russian backed separatists

started on Monday.

But international monitors have reported at least 200 violations overnight.

CNN senior international correspondent Matthew Chance is in Moscow. Matthew, it sounds like both sides have been using heavy weapons. Is there

any indication that heavy weapons are being withdrawn?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a good question. And you're right to point that out, that the international monitors from the

OSCE that have been giving us these regular reports on the number of ceasefire violations that say that at least 100 of the violations over the

period they last reported on were explosions, indicating that there was heavy weaponry being used, tanks and artillery pieces on both sides.

It's a key point of the Minsk peace agreement essentially, or the Minks protocols, as they're called, which were designed to bring to an end the

fighting in eastern Ukraine, that heavy weaponry on both sides has withdrawn from the conflict zone by both the Ukrainian military and by the

rebel forces who were, of course, funded and armed to a large extent and supported, at least by the Russians.

That clearly hasn't happened. It's clearly one of the reasons why the upsize in the - upscale in the - upswing, I should say, in fighting that

took place in the end of January had such a devastating affect on the civilian population. Around 30 people killed since late January. And of

course it remains one of the biggest threats to further escalation of the conflict today, even though the situation appears to have returned to a

kind of low level conflict, compared to where it was just a couple of weeks ago before the ceasefire was declared.

KINKADE: Matthew, what other pressure can the international community place on both sides to ensure that this ceasefire holds?

CHANCE: Well, it's very difficult. I mean, there is a diplomatic process that's been underway for a couple of years now. It's called the Normandy

format process in which the governments of Russia and Ukraine and France and Germany as well speak about and try and work out differences on the

ground. There's going to be a meeting of those four nations shortly. We don't know when exactly.

Also, other countries like the United States have after some confusion, let's say, during the election campaign have spelled out pretty clearly

that they are standing by Ukraine, that they will keep their sanctions in place against Russia until such times as the Minsk accords are fulfilled by

the Russian side.

And so, you know, that's the kind of pressure that's already been brought on Russia, for instance. The sanctions regime from both the United States

and from the European Union.

What the Ukrainians want to see is more pressure of that kind.

[10:25:50] KINKADE: All right, Matthew Chance, it's good to have your analysis on all of that. We will talk to you very soon. Thank you.

Well, live from the CNN Center, this is Connect the World. Coming up, police in Malaysia are giving more information in the killing of Kim Jong-

nam. We'll have the latest from Kuala Lumpur.

And a British Muslim teacher is denied entry to the U.S. after a court blocked President Trump's travel ban. He says he was treated like a

criminal. My guest will joins us after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

KINKADE: Well, riots broke out this week in Stockholm, Sweden just days after U.S. President Donald Trump wrongly implied that refugees had carried

out a terrorist attack there. The unrest erupted on Monday in a northern suburb in a mainly immigrant neighborhood. Rioters torched cars and

vandalized shops and threw rocks a police.

Sweden took in more asylum seekers per capita than any other European country in 2015. In the process of integrating them into society has been

a major challenge.

As Ivan Watson reports, at least one right wing lawmakers thinks President Trump's hard line on immigration has merit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[10:30:33] IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: From the U.S. President, a warning about immigration.

DONALD TRUMP, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: Sweden, who would believe this? Sweden. They took in large numbers, they're having problems like they never

thought possible.

WATSON: Nevertheless, President Trump's message does resonate with some political circles in Sweden.

MATTIAS KARLSSON, SWEDEN DEMOCRATIC PARTY: I'm very grateful to President Trump that he addressed this issue, it's very important to us here.

WATSON: Mattias Karlsson, is a leader of the right-wing Sweden democrats, the third largest party in parliament.

KARLSSON: I think Sweden is a good example to put forward as a bad example. If you don't control the borders, if you don't have a - a responsible

refugee policy, you will get problems, and we have serious problems here in Sweden.

WATSON: Is it a - is it a crisis here?

KARLSSON: Yes. I would describe it as a crisis. We have seen serious problems with law and order.

WATSON: As evidence, Karlsson points to a riot that erupted in the Stockholm suburbs of Rinkeby, Monday night. A police spokesman says,

officers fired at least two shots when dozens of rioters attacked police officers during the arrest of a crime suspect. Ten cars were torched in the

unrest, and one police officer suffered bruised to the arm from a thrown object. Hours later, the scene in this largely immigrant community looked

very different.

This is the center of Rinkeby. Now that were here, I'm going to be honest, as a first-time visitor it's hard to believe that less than 24 hours ago,

this was the scene of a full-blown riot. More than a dozen police officers deployed in the central square, several shop windows were smashed, but

families with small children appear to be going about their business as usual. Is Sweden in crisis right now?

MAGNUS RANSTORP, SWEDISH SCHOLAR AND COUNTER-TERRORISM EXPERT: No it's not at all at a crisis. Look around, I mean, very calm, very quiet. Of course,

though, I saw incidences that happened but the police are dealing with them.

WATSON: Magnus Ranstorp is a counterterrorism expert at the Swedish National Defense College.

RANSTORP: I'm not denying that there are integration issues but what I think is wrong to do is to conflate immigration, crime and terrorism

because those linkages are not that strong.

WATSON: During the peak of the European migrant crisis of 2015, more than 160,000 new arrivals crossed Sweden's borders. Sweden has since tightened

border controls, reducing the flow of migrants by imposing temporary passport checks at the border.

In a four-year period when Sweden granted asylum to more than 100,000 refugees, crime grew by seven percent. Meanwhile, state figures show the

Muslim immigrant community in Sweden is increasingly under attack with Islamophobic hate crimes jumping by nearly 90 percent.

Like much of the rest of Europe, this Scandinavian country is grappling with immigration, assimilation and the threat of Islamic extremist

terrorism, very complicated challenges at the heart of a growing global- political debate.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Stockholm.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: A British Muslim teacher escorted off a New York bound flight believes he was targeted because of his religion. 25-year-old Juhel Miah,

who was born in the UK, was leading a school group to New York via Iceland on February 16 when he was thrown off the plane. He films the entire

incident with his cell phone camera.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUHEL MIAH, TEACHER: I'm just being kicked off the plane. I'm not going to New York. Here we go.

Everyone else is on the plane. This lady is transporting me wherever I have to go.

Surprise, surprise. My bag's already off the thing. And now I'm just waiting.

They've all gone in there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, Miah was never allowed to board that plane. And the school he works for ended up arranging a flight for him back to the UK. Iceland

Air says it was acting on a recommendation from the U.S. customs agency.

Well, Juhel Miah joins us now via Skype from Port Talbot (ph), Wales. Great to have you with us. I'm sorry for what you've been through.

It has been called an act of discrimination. Just talk us through what happened when you tried to fly into the U.S.

[10:35:13] MIAH: First of all, thank you so much for having me on.

Exactly the same as I've already said. I went through security. They did a random security check on me, and then eventually after they got through -

we were boarding a plane - once boarding a plane, my job as a teacher was collect all the people's passports, which I was doing.

It was then I was approached by an American official. And who escorted me to the front of the plane and eventually told me that I was denied access

to America and I'd have to get off the plane.

KINKADE: You are British born. You had the right visa to enter the U.S. You've got no criminal record. But your first name on your passport is

Mohammed (ph). Was that the red flag do you think?

MIAH: Well, I hope it's not. I really do hope it's not.

But it's come to my light when I (inaudible) passport, she read my name, which is Mohammed (ph) and it felt as if instantly she looked at me and

said you've been randomly selected for a security check. Like I said, I really hope it's not because of my name or the color of my skin or whatever

it is. But I just hope it's not that.

KINKADE: How did this entire incident make you feel?

MIAH: I'm not the type of person who gets angry. I never get angry at people. But it made me feel small. And it made me feel like something

that I'm not, like it made me feel like a criminal, and I've never felt like that before.

KINKADE: A letter has been sent to the British foreign secretary, Boris Johnson. Do you think he will get an explanation from the United States?

MIAH: Well, well, I can only have my fingers crossed and hope something - I do get an explanation. And I think he's the best (inaudible) for it. I

really do hope I get something, just an explanation to explain to me exactly why.

KINKADE: And have you ever tried to enter the U.S. before?

MIAH: No. I've never been to the U.S. before. And you know I was really looking forward to going. And I still one day might in the future really

would like to come and see New York.

KINKADE: Yeah. You have to explain to us what your students must have been thinking when they saw you being dragged off the plane.

MIAH: I just remember as I was being escorted off the plane by Icelandic officials and I looked back at my students, and I just remember them

looking at me shocked, shocked, gobsmacked, some of them couldn't believe what was happening. And I saw them look back, and I just nodded to them to

just say I'm going to be OK and everything is going to be OK, even though I didn't know what was going to happen.

KINKADE: Do you think that has change their perception of the United States?

MIAH: Like I said, I honestly I hope not. I hope not, because I still want to come and see the United States. And I just hope it was just and

accident, a mistake, that's what I hope.

KINKADE: Recently, we've seen Donald Trump, the president, roll out this travel ban. We know it's on hold right now. And he plans to roll out

another one. Do you think other travelers, who might be Muslim, who might have a name - might go by Mohammed (ph) as their name, should they be

nervous that this could become the new norm?

MIAH: Well, like I said I really hope not. I hope it was just a mistake. I hope it has got nothing to being named Mohammed (ph), or being a Muslim

or the color of my skin. I hope it has had nothing to do with that, I just genuinely hope it was just some mistake made and someone just says to me,

look, I accidentally made this mistake and I'm sorry. That's all I want. And that's what I hope.

KINKADE: And just quickly in relation to President Trump and his immigration policies, what's your message to him?

MIAH: What's my message to President Trump?

KINKADE: Yes.

MIAH: I honestly can't comment. I'm just grateful to be back home, to be honest with you, and safe.

KINKADE: All right. Juhel Miah, it's really been great to have you on our program and to hear from your perspective. Thanks so much for joining us.

MIAH: Thank you so much. Take care.

KINKADE: You, too.

Well, you've been watching Connect the World. Still to come, thousands of migrant workers go to Hong Kong for a better life only to be abused. Now,

how some are fighting back. That story just ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:42:45] KINKADE: You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World with me, Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.

Well, CNN's Freedom Project draws attention to modern-day slavery wherever it is found. A large majority of Hong Kong's migrant workers are domestic

helpers and they're extremely vulnerable. Alexandra Field tells the story of two women who faced abuse in the homes where they worked and lived.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Life in this shelter is simple, but better than the job that broke her.

"I was in a lot of pain, I was very sad, I was lost, but I didn't have anyone to tell," she says.

This woman from Sri Lanka is free now but the decision to stay in Hong Kong and fight for justice has also trapped her.

She says, "They didn't care how I survive. They just took work out of me."

She claims her old boss broke Hong Kong's employment laws for domestic workers, underpaying her, failing to feed her and overworking her, a story

that's now a lesson for women like her, Hong Kong's foreign domestic workers.

TINA CHAN, STOP ANTI-TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATION PROJECT MANAGER: You know, she didn't know anybody. She didn't really speak English. She finally was

able to meet somebody who told her that, you know, this is completely illegal, and that you need to get away because your employer is abusing you

and exploiting you.

FIELD: Activists are working to educate the city's most at risk population for forced labor and human trafficking, domestic helpers and sex workers.

Hong Kong law requires domestic workers to be paid at least a minimum of about $555 U.S. a month, and that they get at least a day off a week. Many

don't know that.

CHAN: They don't realize they're being exploited or they are the victim.

FIELD: The government says it's taking more steps to protect domestic workers, including introducing a website, educating them on their rights,

prosecuting and revoking licenses from employment agencies that break the rules, and jailing at least one employer for abuse. But activist argue

without a dedicated anti-trafficking law, the government isn't providing the support victims need to take on abusive employers. A law requiring them

to live with their employers means those who are abused can be left entirely isolated.

CHAN: The truth is that because victims of trafficking, they're so invisible. That you don't even get to see them, and even if you come across

a victim of trafficking on the street, you don't see that there's a label on their forehead, saying that she's a victim.

FIELD: In 2016, in a report on human trafficking, the U.S. State Department with Hong Kong on a watch list, putting it on par with countries like

Ghana, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan, saying that the government authorities' investigations were inadequate to the scale of the problem and

citing that there is no specific criminal offense related to the crime.

Hong Kong's government responded, saying, "The findings of the report had displayed a total disregard of the continuous and strenuous efforts of our

law enforcement agencies to tackle trafficking in persons. And that we cannot accept Hong Kong is the destination, transit and source territory

for men, women and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor."

That activists estimate that around 29,500 people in Hong Kong, may be in some form of forced labor or exploitation.

A group of women from Madagascar, who say they are those victims, are also looking for justice. "I'm angry because they lied," she says. She was

betrayed, she says, by an agency that sent her and others from Madagascar to Hong Kong, promising good domestic work and good pay. But she says they

took most of her paycheck, leaving her with less than a quarter for wages Hong Kong law requires.

She tells us, "I'd like to go back to Madagascar and bring money back to my children when this is all over." But she knows the fight for the missing

money will be long and nothing is certain. Alexandra Field, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[10:46:36] KINKADE: And we are doing much more to shine a light on modern- day slavery. CNN is teaming up with young people on March 14 for My Freedom Day, a unified global day of action. And behind it all, the simple

question, what does Freedom mean to you?

Send us your answer as a text, a photo or a video message across social media using the hashtag #myfreedomday.

Well, Connect the World continues after this short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Well, just when you thought you'd seen it all, check this out. The U.S. Ambassador to Somalia presenting the country's new president with

a Make Somalia Great Again hat. The African country has been rocked by conflict and political instability for decades.

Well, you're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World with me, Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.

U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing to sign a new executive order that would temporarily hold citizens from seven Muslim majority countries from

entering the U.S. His initial travel ban on those nations sparked anger and chaos before it was held up in the courts. And it left one Somali

family torn apart. This is their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BATULO, SOMALI REFUGEE: I'm a girl. I'm just young. I don't have a job. I don't have anyone helping me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): My daughter, we love you. We didn't intent to leave you behind.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My father told me that, "you are not going with us." My happiness just be over on that day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We never expected this. This is the country that welcomed us than (inaudible) us.

[10:50:12] UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When the gunfire stoped, we heard screaming and crying. We crawled towards the screams. As

we approached them, it turned out to be our house. When I reached there, I found my wife crying and my daughter struggling on the floor. I asked my

wife what happened to them. She said that our daughter had been raped and then shot. She had been shot in the head.

After we buried our child, we decided to leave the country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): When we all got the news at one time, we were very happy. But then we were told that she would be

(inaudible) from the case because of her age. And then Batulo was told she would travel after us on the 30th of January.

What will happen to my daughter if she stays behind without me? My heart is not at rest.

BATULO: This is my new place. And we are sharing the same mattress, we are sharing the same pillows and the same blankets.

I would like to go back to school, but I don't have that energy to go to school, because I don't have any help any more. I just want to meet with

my parents.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): She said to me, "mom, you buried me just like you buried my sister.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's just people forced us to leave you behind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to clean our bodies so that we can pray. Kenya, we don't have those bathrooms. It is like a hole we dig it.

Like this one you're finished, but this one you can sit.

We are sleeping with bricks. Do you know bricks? It's not comfortable like this one. It is good we're living a good life, but it's not good

because we don't have our sister.

BATULO: I would like to go in America to get a beautiful job, a beautiful house, until the day that they call me and then I just leave and meet with

my parents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are afraid that this isn't true. This feels like a dream to me.

BATULO: I cannot talk about my happiness. Even tonight, I don't think that I'll be asleep as I was sleeping.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Atlanta International Airport.

UNIDENITIFIED MALE: On the way coming here, it was very, very happy to meet with our sister. It's like dreaming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't go through there.

Hey, no. Hey.

BATULO: I feel a happiness that I have never seen in my house.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Wonderful to see that family reunited.

Well, in today's Parting Shots, we meet the young members of Somali diaspora who are rediscovering their roots. They're piece together a

fractured history. And they say it's crucial for their generation to face up to the horrors of Somalia's past. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[10:55:11] FARAH GABDON, BRITISH-SOMALI POET: The war destroyed a lot of Somali culture, not just culture but the expression of it. I think it was

very dramatic. We lost everything.

FAISAL SALAH, BRITISH-SOMALI MUSICIAN: Oh my goodness, Somalia. People have lived on that land, people have died on that land, people have shed

blood on that land, people have given birth on that, the land is still the land.

A generation of people have never been to Somalia. They're struggling as hell to understand who they are. For me, it's like bro, sis, like you've

come from this place. It exists within you. Your skin is testament to it. Like find out where that place is, find out the beauties of that place,

find out the horrors of that place, embrace that, because those dreams and horrors are a reflection and navigate you there. And I feel like so much

we have to let go of.

And then once we finally let go, you'll see from there like you'll see from there.

PETE KOWALCZYK, FILMMAKER: I'm Pete Kowalczyk, and these are my Parting Shots.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, for more on this story, go to our Facebook page. That's Facebook.com/CNNconnect. And you can read a brand new article about this

young Somalis reconnecting with their identity through music and poetry. You can also follow all the stories the team is working on throughout the

day. And you can get in touch with me on Twitter. You can tweet me @LyndaKinkade.

I'm Lynda Kinkade. And that was Connect the World. Thanks so much for watching. See you next time.

END