On politically, the fact is thousands of people continue to come to the us and to the bay area every year, seeking asylum. Just in the last year alone, a quarter of a Million People who are not from mexico have been picked up at the us border by Border Patrol. We discovered that rather than get deported, many of those same people are then dropped off by immigration authorities at local bus stations and sent around the country. Those immigrants then remain here, where they live in the shadows. Sophia the night that i left from honduras, i was abused by that guys. They raped me. Stephen raped and threatened with her life. Sophia i felt that they would kill us, everybody. Stephen this 19yearold still fears for her safety, so well call her sophia. She hides her face, but she wants you to hear her story of escape and survival from death squads in her honduran hometown. Sophia they started to beat up my father a lot. And then they placed a gun over my babys head. Stephen they were members of mara 18, one of the most violent gangs in honduras and the world, come to their home to collect extortion money from her family. Sophia we cant pay it anymore because my father has no job to pay it. [speaking foreign language] stephen sophias father asked to be called roberto. [speaking foreign language] stephen after robertos wife and daughter were raped, his life threatened, he and his family fled honduras, unsure of their future. [speaking foreign language] stephen but sure he would die like his friend and neighbor if he stayed. [speaking foreign language] stephen thats why they now live in the shadows, the entire family, five people plus one infant, staying in this one small room here in the bay area. And this family is not alone. According to the us Border Patrol, more than 68,000 families were apprehended crossing the us southwest border with mexico in 2014, an increase of 361 compared to 2013. So far this year, the Border Patrol has picked up 24,901 families though the end of june. The numbers of people fleeing Central America have become so large, theres no room in court or in holding facilities. So, after picking the refugees up along the border, federal agents rerelease them back into the us if the immigrants have relatives already living here who can pay for a bus ticket. In exchange, these refugees agree to report to local immigration authorities once they get to their relatives hometown. Jeh johnson the president is very committed to taking executive action to fix our broken immigration system. Stephen while admitting that the Current System is broken, Homeland Security secretary jeh johnson insists that the numbers of these refugees peaked back in june of 2014. Jeh the total number of those who attempt to cross our southwest border has declined dramatically. Stephen even so, the sheer number of these refugees dropped off at local bus stations created a crisis, overwhelming local resources. Teresa cavendish in the last 6 months, its been thousands of individuals. Stephen Teresa Cavendish serves as director of operations at Catholic Community services in tucson, arizona, one town particularly hard hit by the number of refugees being dropped off at the bus station. Teresa they are leaving in most cases truly desperate situations. And they are making the kind of choices that i might make in their situations. Stephen over the course of several days, the Investigative Unit documented family after family arriving at this bus station in tucson, Young Mothers and their children, even a father and a young daughter traveling alone. We talked with many of them. All of them feared for their lives. Teresa they rolled the dice to come here. Stephen we also rode the bus with several of these immigrants, headed to places like atlanta, los angeles, new jersey, even eureka in northern california. Sophia if you stayed there, you would be killed, and thats why we are here. Stephen sophia and her family also rode the bus for 3 long days just to get here to the bay area. Sophia were here because we are saving our lives. Stephen now, sophia and her mother make the trip to San Francisco to report in to immigration authorities once every 2 weeks, honoring the agreement they made in order to get that bus ticket to the bay area. [speaking foreign language] stephen they may be scared, but they admit they feel safer here than back home, if not entirely secure. Because for them, a judge issuing a deportation order back to honduras would be issuing them a death sentence. Sophia just saying, get back, hes killing us. [speaking foreign language] stephen another unexpected group of refugees make their way to the us and the bay area by train, jaime yes, im scared. Stephen among them, this refugee from guatemala, who fears for his life even now. Thats why we wont show you his face and we will call him jaime. Jaime i got out of guatemala because of problems with the gangs. They were following me, wanting to kill me. I didnt want to die. Stephen the gangs in guatemala came for jaime when he was 12. Shortly after that, he fled for his life, leaving his mother, his home, his country. Jaime is now in school, hiding in plain sight among us here in the bay area. He is alone. Jaime is 14. Stephen was it worth it to come here . Jaime if i didnt have this now, id be dead today. Dariana i couldnt be there anymore, so i came alone. Stephen this girl, whom we will call dariana, fled honduras after gangs told her that she must become a prostitute and work for them. Dariana there are some that just look a little gross, spying on them so that they can kidnap them and rape them. Thats what they do over there. They sequester them and rape them. They prostitute them out. And if not, they just kill them. Stephen dariana was 13. Dariana i feel so bad. I was alone and had no one until i got to the detention center. I didnt get to talk to my mother. I didnt know how she was. Stephen these children are not alone. Theyre only part of a mass exodus of immigrant children who have swamped the system in the last few years. According to the us Border Patrol, more than 68,000 unaccompanied children were picked up along the usmexico border in 2014. Thats just children traveling alone, not with parents, a 77 increase from 2013. Its a number thats actually dropped so far this year to less than 27,000 unaccompanied children. Jaime if i return to guatemala, for sure death will be waiting for me. Stephen jaime remains in high school here in the bay area, where he continues to try to learn english. Dariana eventually made her way here to the bay area as well, where she was reunited with her mother and father. Announcer coming up next. Ben i couldnt live with myself if i didnt do everything i could to save the lives of the family that has been given to us. Announcer the stories of immigrant families in sanctuary. Yoplait. The smooth and creamy yogurt your whole family loves. Yoplait original with no artificial sweeteners, no artificial flavors, and no high fructose corn syrup. Call us, 1888996tips. Or send an email, theunit nbcbayarea. Com. Stephen welcome back. Tens of thousands of families and children fleeing Central America. That reality has ignited a controversial Movement Among some cities and counties here in the us, a movement called sanctuary. Sanctuary cities refuse to turn over undocumented immigrants who commit minor crimes to federal authorities. But after the killing of 32yearold Kathryn Steinle on San Franciscos waterfront in july, that movement sparked Intense National debate. The man charged in steinles killing, Juan Francisco lopez sanchez, is an undocumented immigrant from mexico who had been in federal immigration custody. Lopez sanchez was transferred to San Francisco countys Sheriffs Office on a marijuana case, and he was released in april by the Sheriffs Office after the marijuana case against him was discharged because San Francisco is a sanctuary city. Two and a half months later, he was allegedly involved in steinles death. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges. That one case has drawn political fire not only from president ial candidate donald trump, but also from other critics of sanctuary, who say sanctuary cities are illegally thumbing their nose at federal law. Defenders of sanctuary say this one case should not change a movement meant to protest what they say are unjust federal immigration policies. In fact, there is another parallel Sanctuary Movement within churches here in the us, also called sanctuary, a movement that began right here in the bay area 30 years ago. Stephen the home video shows an 11yearold eldest son, geraldo grihalva jr. , hitting a home run in little league, pitching, even taking practice swings with his dad throwing soft toss. But this isnt your typical american story. You see, geraldos mother, Rosa Robles Loreto, now faces deportation and separation from her family. For 15 years, rosa and her family lived, worked, and paid taxes in tucson, arizona. That is, until a sheriffs deputy pulled rosa over for a Traffic Violation and realized she was here illegally. Rosa loreto after fighting the court with my attorney, my deportation letter arrived. Stephen after 2 months in immigration detention, the federal government ordered rosa deported, potentially separating her from her husband and two sons. Rosa it is something i fear. If they say, no, you have to go, i wont tolerate being without my children. Stephen thats why Rosa Robles Loreto now lives here, in this small room at South Side Presbyterian Church in tucson. While her family can come and go and live elsewhere, rosa stays here in sanctuary, away from what the leaders of this church say are unjust, unfair, and broken Us Immigration policies. Alison harrington you have people of faith who are standing up, saying were not going to fail to act in this time. Stephen Alison Harrington serves as pastor at southside presbyterian, a congregation that has served as sanctuary to hundreds of undocumented immigrants for decades. Alison this isnt just about rosa. This is about the thousands and thousands of families who are living in fear of being separated by our broken immigration system right now. Marilyn chilcott reagan administration, the ins were saying that to harbor an illegal alien would be a felony. Stephen Marilyn Chilcott and her husband, bob mckenzie, were both once pastors at st. Johns Presbyterian Church in berkeley, and two of the founders of the movement to provide sanctuary for refugees from the civil war in el salvador in the 1980s. Marilyn what you were doing was the right thing to do. Bob mckenzie so, im glad to see that the congregations have once again claimed this. Stephen reverend ben daniel serves as pastor at montclair Presbyterian Church in oakland, another Founding Church in the Sanctuary Movement, which is once again providing refuge to a family. Ben i couldnt live with myself if i didnt do everything i could to save the lives of the family that has been given to us for care. Stephen its an issue that divides many americans. Some opponents say theres no room for a Movement Like sanctuary in the current debate over immigration policy. Gabriella and they are breaking the law. Stephen Gabriella Saucedo mercer immigrated from mexico in the 1980s. She ran unsuccessfully for congress in the tucson area both in 2012 and again in 2014. Gabriela when churches or any other Organization Take this approach of, you know, we are going to become the heroes by protecting this lawless behavior, im sorry, but theyre wrong. Stephen sanctuary advocates say the current us system leaves them with no choice. Ben well, i dont want to be the kind of human being that would send someone back to die. Announcer coming up next. Stephen is the system broken right now . Dana leigh marks absolutely broken. We often say that these are Death Penalty cases in a Traffic Court setting. Announcer immigration issues in the courts. We investigate the rampant fraud facing immigrants and the case backlog thats taking a toll. A hamelted cheddarger, with crispy hash browns and an egg your way. Now thats a burg. explosion groans you want that to go again sweetie . The thing burger. Welcome to dennys. Fantastic 4, only in theaters. Me to america seeking safety and justice, but we have found tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants living here in america in legal limbo, more than 30,000 of them just in the bay area alone, living underground, unable to legally work or pay taxes, waiting on their day in court. Stephen all day, every day, they come, attempting to work within the system, undocumented immigrants and their families showing up in court on montgomery street in downtown San Francisco, only to find themselves in legal limbo, limbo that can last for years. Dana the normal laws that most people feel familiar with about american justice dont necessarily apply in the Immigration Court context. Stephen the honorable judge dana leigh marks has served as a Us Immigration court judge since 1987. Dana we often say that these are Death Penalty cases in a Traffic Court setting. Stephen judge marks is also president of the union, the National Association of immigration judges. And as such, she speaks for the union and not the justice department. Dana these are the kinds of issues where we say Immigration Law is like the Twilight Zone of law. Stephen the Investigative Unit observed hundreds of San FranciscoImmigration Court proceedings over several weeks. While the Us Justice Department would not let us take photographs or video any of those proceedings, judge marks did sit down with us on camera, giving us a rare insiders perspective on a system that does resemble Traffic Court, a system vastly understaffed, underfunded, and overwhelmed. Dana we just dont have enough time in our daily workload to be able to handle that volume of cases. Stephen here in california, the backlog now nears 90,000 people, more than any other state. San franciscos caseload has exceeded 30,000 cases, second only to los angeles. Dana the cases where people are likely to eventually win, those cases suffer. In contrast, the weaker cases are the ones that benefit. Stephen benefit because they stay for years and years in the us, even though their legal case for staying might be weak. Sandra i would get beaten every day if i tried to escape, i would get beat again. Stephen this woman asked to be called sandra. After she was caught at the us border trying to cross, a person claiming to be an attorney, whats known among immigrants as a notorio, charged sandra 1,000 to represent her. Sandra when i was in detention, i had a lady that told me she was an attorney, so i paid her. In the end, she wasnt one. She justit was fraud. Stephen Syracuse University tracks all federal Immigration Court records. Called trac, syracuses database found that of all undocumented women and children who appeared in Immigration Court without an attorney, nearly 100 were deported. Contrast that to those few people who did have an attorney, only 74 of them were deported. Gautam jagannath my goal is that we have a just immigration system. Stephen thats why attorneys Gautam Jagannath and Emily Abraham founded the social justice collaborative, a nonprofit based in oakland whose only job is to represent immigrants in this system. Gautam i mean, we hear stories all the time of attorneys that, you know, charge money and they end up not doing anything, or they dont show up to court, or they dont file their paperwork, or they dont ever visit the client. And its just not an uncommon story. Stephen we learned that Immigration Court is not a court in the traditional sense either. Theres no judicial independence, no separation of powers. Dana judges need the decisional independence to not be worried about whether theyre handling enough cases and going fast enough to satisfy their supervisory boss. Stephen is the system broken right now . Dana absolutely broken. Announcer coming up next. Juan theres no question that the system, the Immigration Court system, is under incredible stress right now. Announcer a top immigration administrator talks to the Investigative Unit on the problems and what the feds are doing to fix it. Thats the current reality of americas Immigration Courts. In fact, the Immigration Court here in San Francisco is among the busiest in the country. Its a system that even the top administrator in washington dc says desperately needs reform. Far from the border, where, in the last 20 months, tens of thousands of men, women, and children have fled the violence in their home countries of guatemala, honduras, and el salvador, the fate of those people picked up by federal Border Agents rest with attorneys who work for this Office Located in a nondescript building in the suburbs of washington dc. Its the executive office for immigration review, or eoir. Juan we have 58 courts around the country, 240some judges, and they are responsible for making those important life and death decisions. Stephen juan osuna serves as director of the eoir, a division of the Us Department of justice. Juan theres no question that the system, the Immigration Court system, is under incredible stress right now. Stephen would you agree the systems broken . Juan i would. Stephen thats why director osuna agreed to break with past tradition, and for the first time ever, sit down on camera to discuss the backlog and Us Immigration courts roles in these life and death issues. Juan it has been a function, i think, of many years of not enough resources being put into the court system to handle the incoming caseload. Stephen in an open and frank discussion, director osuna admitted that the system has fallen behind. Juan the budget restrictions that were imposed in 2011, resulting in the required hiring freezes across the federal government, which for us were a disaster. In addition, we had the border surge. Stephen that surge of immigrants prompted the white house to change policy to discourage more immigrants from coming here. Now, immigrants recently caught along the border see a judge first, jumping to the front of the line, but pushing others already in line further back. Cases placed on the docket prior to the president s order are now being set on the calendar for 2019. Juan the backlogs are a significant concern, yes. I do think that, as we add the resources to the system over the next couple of years that the system needs, that many of those cases will be able to heard earlier. Stephen since Congress Seems unable to pass broad immigration reform, president obama has tried through executive order to address some of these issues. But even those executive orders have been tied up in court challenges. Meantime, a half Million People nationwide remain caught in legal limbo. Finally, we thank you for watching. You are invited to join us regularly right here on nbc bay area because we investigate. Im stephen stock. Good night. Sawz a. We are falling into fall. Hi everyone. And welcome to a special edition of access hollywood. Im liz. Today is all about new fall season. What shows you should watch. Movies see and of course the fall trend every celebrity sporting. Lets get started with the return of fall biggest show scandal. Last season the showend with kerry in the arms of president grant. Our gladiator producers had a top of questions for Kerry Washington and she directly answered them all. Well sharon when we come back we are a day or 2 later. If we pretty much come in rate on time to figure out what the heck happened after that balcony and how are people dealing with it. Reporter the kiss that gladiator heart racing and season that range the the hostage and stabbing and another producer wanted to know how the series will once again out due itself. Triggs a. I. Can tell you that the First Episode become is pretty awesome. The and worth the wait. Not what i expected. Both were