immigration crisis. ameri "america tonight's" chris bury. shooting straight taking aim at gun laws. how supporters in washington state found it worked. >> the nra is not invincible. we succeeded. we got the nra to run away scared. you can, too. >> america tonight, on how they won the day and how it could be a model for gun control activists in other states. ♪ and good evening. thanks for joining us. i am joie chen. it is the most sweeping overhaul of the nation's immigration policy in decades: one that could shape the president's legacy and will surely set him up for a face-off with republicans. using the power of executive order, the president says he will shield nearly 5 million undo you think immigrants from the threat of being forced back to their native countries. his plan, though, provides only temporary protection against deportation, mainly for parents who have been in the u.s. for at least five years and have children or u.s. citizens or legal residents. they must register, pass a criminal background check and pay taxes. the president also called for more resources for border security. he underscored that this doesn't apply to new arrivals or those who enter the country illegally in the future. bottom line on all of this, the president's action opens the way for millions to apply not for citizenship or a green card but for protected status and permission to legally work here. >> are we a nation that tolerates the hypocracy of the system where workers who pick our fruit and make our beds never have a chance to get right with the law? or are we a nation that gives them a chance to make and, take responsibility and give their kids a better future? are we a nation that accepts the cruelty of ripping children from their parents' arms, or are we a nation that values families and worked together to keep them together? >> the president moved those, and said the fear has followed some for decades and spoke with one man who has been living in the shadows now for more than 20s years. >> my name is xavier perez. i am 22 years old. i came with my parents from mexico when i was two months old and i grew up in a town in florida called lakeland, and growing up, i didn't, you know, really know i was undocumented until my high school year. >> that's when i found out whenever i was trying to apply for colleges. i have two little sisters, both u.s. citizens. one is 15, and one is 16. my dream goffs to college to become -- to get a degree in computer science. i was really interested in making a website work. so since i wasn't able to have that opportunity, i decided to teach myself how to do it. now, i work doing what i like, branding and online creative specialist for united we dream. i manage organizations' graphic design. >> united we dream is the nation's largest immigrant organization run by young people like him. the president's decision may make a bigger impact on the lives of their parents. a short time ago, jaciel brought his mother where she tried to put words to her excitement and her relief. >> translator: it's a big deal for me. it's wonderful. it means i will be able to realize my dreams finally, after being here for 21 years. >> for these 21 years, have you lived with fear? >> translator: yes, i have lived with fear the whole time, with anxiety that every time i walked outside that i would be arrested and sent back to mexico. i lived with the fear that i would be separated from my children and they also have dreams of their own. and i don't want to cut their dreams short. >> you must know that there are people who think you came without papers, you came undocumented, you knew for many years that you were here undocumented and so there are people who would say, it's not right. the president's decision is not right, that allows you, that allows your family to say. what would you say to them? >> i think that people who have been here a long time have the right to stay because we have contributed so much to this country. so, i think that we have earned that right by now. >> do you have fear now that this is only going to be a temporary solution, that it's a solution you are going to face this problem yet again? >> right. well, i mean obviously, as we know, the only permanent solution to this problem will be a legislative fix. but if you look back to like before 2012, you know, there was immigrant youth who were living in the shadows, live with that fear. you know, being separated from their families, being deported and, you know, through daka and through this announcement that the president announced tonight, it may be only -- it is only temporary, but it's a huge victory for our communities. and just like how we fought when we were daca, our parents weren't -- you know, they weren't covered. we committed ourselves to fight and we will continue to honor that commitment for the long -- the long fight that's ahead. >> do you share sewer mother's feelings today? what day is this for you? how big a day is this for you? >> so, in 2012, i remember hear that announcement, that i was finally, going to be able to have that opportunity, that sense of freedom to drive to school without having that fear of being pulled over and thinking, you know, is this going to be the day that i get deported? so when i got -- i was able to get that, like i said, it was just a sense of freedom. and -- >> i think you are very emotional about it even today. >> just thinking about it, but once i had that, i still thought of my parents, you know, still lived under that constant fear of being, you know, torn apart from us, our family being torn apart and just being able to see my mom have that opportunity that i was able to have he and just having that sense of fear lifted from her. there is no words to explain it. >> jaciel perez and beatrice, thank you. ? >> thank you. >> we should know beatrice will be able to apply for protection not because of her son, jaciel but because of her two drawers, teenagers who were born nus country and are therefore, therefore, u.s. citizenship. they have lived a peaceful life but there is concern, serious concern, about those who have committed violent crimes and brought their vicious actions with them across our borders. case in point: an undocumented immigrant who killed two sheriff's deputy deputies in california, he had been repeatedly deported but then returned to this country. a violent cry spree inspired is the is st. is the sheriff to speak out on line. he glanded action from the one man he said could make a difference here. the president. >> a distinction, of burying one of my deposit at this. he was is a shot in the head during an encounter with a suspect. another deputy was also shot and killed by him. cism stated, you are the only singular person in this entire country that can advance or adopt meaningful immigration reform. by that very definition, then, it is your singular failure, alone, as to why we do not yet have reform, why america continues to be at risk. >> sheriff scott jones now joins us from sacramento. sheriff, appreciate your being with us. can you explain why it was so important for you as a local official in sacramento to speak out to send a message this way to the president and leadership of the country? >> you know, being from such a large jurisdiction of 1.3 million people in the county and a very large sheriff's department, you know, that gives hethe ability to have a political platform, but i also think it gives me the responsibility to speak out on these social issues. we had an unfortunates murder of one of our deputies a couple of weeks ago that was really the catalyst for me to have the u e urgency to give this message now. >> but what role did the president's policy or inaction, as you would describe it, have in the death of these deputies? >> i was very careful in the video. i don't want to blame the president or use the officer's death as really a platform, a political tool. and i have plenty of blame and contempt on this issue for congress. democrats and republicans. they both share blame. but they are a body and the president is an individual and there are many things to answer your question, that the president can do, starting with expressing the urgency to congress. he can be the leader that he is and show his political muscle and be the bridge builder between the faxes in congress to express the urgency, perhaps doing nothing else until congress is able to present him with a viable and sustainable long-term immigration reform package. the other thing he can do is change the policies, the hands-off policies that country exist in homeland security and custom and border protection and ice that allow the folks that now allow people who enter the country a lot will to escape action for their actions. >> we have heard the president now legit myselfing, as it were, millions of those who were undocumented my grant in the country. what do you, on the front lines, expect to see as a result of the president's executive order? >> you know, really nothing because on the front lines, we care very little for someone's immigration status. my concern and my jurisdiction and, of course, california, as you know, has an estimated 22% of all of the undocumented population, by and large population. letting them be secure in calling us that they need us for help and not being worried we are going to somehow enforce immigration law but the problem with am nest city or deferred action or simply giving up, it's not reform. it's simply qualitatively gives a greater value to some subset of this 12 million undocumented population which necessarily is divisive and puts the rest of them deeper into the shadows. >> wouldn't it be taking them out of the shadows to legalize these individuals who have already been in the deferred program or those who have been living in the shadows, as you describe it, already and would that really make a difference? i mean, could you anticipate more criminal actions like the tragedy that occurred with your deputy? >> well, here is the problem, is you do take some out of the shadows. but if you legitmize some, you are delegitimizing the others, bushing those others back deeper into the shadows. you have to understand, no matter if someone truly is intent on creating meaningful sustainable immigration reform, no matter what venue, pathway to citizenship, visas programs, a fan of them all but it has to start with securing our boarders. even if a certain segment of these folks get amnesty tonight or deferred, which they can't get any greater rights than they already have, they can only get protection from prosecution by executive order, even if they get that, it does nothing to stem the future tide, the crisis that exists because of porous borders. no matter what we do or decide on immigration reform in the future has to start with securing our boarders. so what possible reason could we have for not start that right now? let's start physically and by policy, like i mentioned earlier. then let's have a meaningful discussion, start talking about immigration reform. it's a priority before i do anything else but in the meantime, i am going to start on this project because securing the borders is a fundamental facet of the success of any long-term sustainable immigration reform scott jones, appreciate your being with us. thank you very much. >> we will return to the president's immigration action later in the program with a view from one community that changed its approach to undocumented immigrants and what happened as a result. ahead right after the break. out-gunned where activists took on .1 of the nation's post powerful lobbying groups and beat it. >> did the nra under estimate this fight? >> i think they did. and now they have a huge, huge, huge battle on their hands because it will spread to other states. >> "america tonight's" adam may reports from washington state. >> we're following stories of people who died in the desert. >> the borderland marathon. >> no one's prepared for this journey. >> experience al jazeera america's critically acclaimed original series from the beginning. >> experiencing it has changed me completely. >> follow the journey as six americans face the immigration debate up close and personal. >> it's heartbreaking. >> i'm the enemy. >> i'm really pissed off. >> all of these people shouldn't be dead. >> it's insane. >> the borderland thanksgiving day marathon. on al jazeera america. immigration, the first hot button issue the president has taken on since his party's devastating losses but a grassroots approach is taking aim at another one: gun control. for decades the powerful gunrights loich lobby helped to try to defeat gun control n washington state. washington state, gun control experts tried another approach. it might have been a shot across the bow. >> some gun owners in washington state are fired up. >> we got pummeled. >> a .6-time u.s. r team champion. >> that's my rifle i shoot for the u.s. team. she led a campaign against ballot initiative 594. >> 594 why waste law enforcement resources on something that will not make washington safer. >> it was designed to plug loopholes by mandating background checks for gun transfers. on election day, washington voters passed .594 in a landslide. almost 60 to 40%. >> did the nra under estimate this fight? >> i think they did. now, they have a huge, huge, huge battle on their hands because it will spread to other states. this is a cancer. this seattle was a test bed for this initiative. >> like most attempts to pass stronger gun laws, the effort to expand background checks in washington was held up in the state legislature for years. lawmakers were afraid to touch the controversial issue. gun rights advocates showed up in force at the capitol every time it came up. so advocates took a new approach. supporters collected more than a quarter million signatures to put the issue to a popular vote and bypass lawmakers. walker says the new law has left gun owners confused, worried their actions could be considered criminal by police. >> so for instance, i have a girlfriend who calls me up and says, oh, her crazy ex is stalking her. can i bring over a gun for here? but who is to make that call? how is that going to be enforced? and all of these transfers need to somehow be tracked at some point. >> right now, washington doesn't track who owns a gun but gun owners like walker fear the new law will lead to a state registry and even confiscation of guns. there are some precedent. durn hurricane katrina in new orleans, police were ordered go door to door and confiscate civilian firearms. in this video that went viral among gun owners, an elder woman is violently tackled by law enforcement after refusing to give up her pistol and evacuate. in washington, walker claims the new law is an attack on even basic aspects of gun culture. >> to have the center crosshairs at that target. >> as an instructor, she teaches others, including youth groups, how to shoot rifles. >> good. >> she thinks 594 could bring that to an end. >> the fact that i hand you my gun to shoot is a criminal offense. >> do you think that by me firing off your gun just now that we could have possibly been breaking the law? >> absolutely. >> annette said when i used her gun, i may have been committing a felony because of .594. is she right? >> i want to you have a good cone she knew. she did not commit a felony. rules on shooting ranges specifically are called out in 594. the language is there in the law. there is an exemption and you are going to be okay. >> sandy brown helped lead the 594 campaign. he claims the new law will have a big impact on violent crime by targeting private gun sales arranged over the internet. currently exempt from background checks. >> in our research, we learned that there are about 40,000 guns that are available online in washington state every year that would be sold without a criminal background check. so that becomes a source for illegal guns. >> and of the crimes committed here, do you have a breakdown, a percentage of how many are committed by illegal gun sales? >> i don't think that that law enforcement has been able to break it down that way. but we do know of circumstances that could have been avoid did if a person had not received a gun without a criminal background check. and so the prime example we used was this last year when .29-year-old nurse was in her house, and her ex-boyfriend broke in and took a gun and held it to her head and then shot her and then shot himself. and he had tried to get a gun out of federally licensed firearm dealer and was turned down because he couldn't pass the criminal background check. and then he went online and got the gun online and that's the gun that he used to kill his ex-girlfriend. >> the .594 campaign raised millions of dollars. bill gates even kicked in a million. opposition groups including the usually powerful nra couldn't compete. >> they spent something around $500,000 to fight us. >> you guys had $11 million. you out spent them. >> and we expected that had at any moment, we would see the nra dump a few million dollar into campaign against us. this time, they didn't do it. >> e lead. just elated. >> cheryl stumbow was the face of 594 speaking across the state to drum up support. the suburban seattle life changed forever when she almost died during a mass shoot can. in july, 2006, a man angry with israel walked into seattle's jewish federation and opened fire. >> you know, i didn't even realize i had been shot. it turned out that he held the gunpoint-blank against my abdomen and pulled the trigger, but i felt like he just reached out and punched me. >> that's what i felt like. i couldn't hear anything because my ears were ringing so loudly from the gunfire and my face was in the carpet so i couldn't see anything but i could smell that smell and today, that smell is the smell of waiting to die because i thought, this is it. he is going to shoot me. i am going to be dead. >> how do you cope with the fact that you are sitting here right now? >> i get up and do. >> that's how i cope. and i had a new charge, a new mission in life. >> gun law advocates in other states, including nevada and maine watched the .594 campaign clos closely. they are pushing ballot initiatives and crafting campaigns, hoping to duplicate the results in washington. >> what's your message for gun law supporters in other states? >> i guess my message would be: the nra is not invincible. the gun law is not inconvincible. just get together and do it because we did it here in washington. we succeeded. we got the nra to run away scared. you can to. >> 27 states allow some kind of ballot initiatives or referendums that can put an issue in the direct hands of voters. but even proceedponents of ballot initiatives say the system let's elected legislators off of the hook. >> so really, the question in washington state and legislatures all over the country is: why aren't elected officials taking this common sense stand and why are they allowing themselves to be cowed by the gun lobby where they could make decisions that would save lives, would reduce gun violence all across the country? >> something else may have swayed the vote for .594. just weeks before, terror at a washington state high school. a freshman killed four students and himself with a handgun. observers say the event may have motivated some voters. even though the gun was registered to a family member obtained legally just like the gun that entered cheryl stumbow. that shooter actually cleared a background check. >> would .594 have any impact on the shooting at the jewish federation? >> no, not at the shooting at the jewish federation. >> what about the most receipt school shooting here in washington? >> those are the kind of situations that we would like to address with future laws. >> more gun laws sent directly to voters. >> do you think the tide is changing? >> i do. i do. think enough people have decided that the gun lobby has had too much power for too long and that the will of the people needs to prevail and they have decided that they are going to do what i did and put their fear aside and go ahead and say and do the right thing anyway. >> exactly what the opposition fears. >> this is the first step of other forms of gun control. we already have now that this is passed, they are starting to write bills for storage -- gun storage, for magazine capacity, semi auto ban all together. >> high stakes with a new way for gun law supporters to hit their target. >> ameri"america tonight's" ada rejoins us. we have long heard about the power of the nra to influence elections and influence campaigns. there is a lot of money behind it. right? >> there is a lot of money. the nra claims to have 5 million active members and in the last election cycle here according to some new data, they contributed more than $26 million, almost $30 million to individual campaigns and to groups, mostly republican groups. the nra is going to face a big challenge if these ballot initiatives continue to move forward in other states. they are going to have to readjust because they are not trying to influence the politicians. they are going though have to start influencing public opinion. >> let's start about tightening up the gun show loopholes. is there any indication that this kind of approach is moving out of washington state into other communities as well? >> yes, it is. in fact, this issue will now be on the ballot in nevada of all places. yes, we are talking about nevada, a state that typically mistaken associate with having some strong gun law supporters but polling their in nevada suggestionse suggests that most people do favor stronger background checks, .1 poll came out and said background checks in nevada are as popular as pizza. more than 70%. so nevada will be the second test state to try to work around these state legislate temperatures and pass stronger gun laws. >> adam may, thanks very much. after the break, we will turn back to the president's action on immigration. what it will mean for millions now in america and on the front lines. one community's approach to immigration reform on its own streets and how that worked out. later this hour, we will remember the man behind some scenes you will never forget. >> music doesn't change change the world, but it does influence that way people think >> rock icon peter gabriel believes we can all make a difference >> get technology to people... to empower them... to become more effective >> giving a global stage to important issues >> climate change... we've gotta take action >> every saturday, join us for exclusive... revealing... and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time... talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america su >> making headlines. another round of crimming snow storms. already seen a year's worth of snow in three days. forecasters predict as much as two more feet to come down t at least eight people have died. the gunman who opened fire early thursday has been identified as fsu grad myron may. people were injured before officers shot and killed may. members from the e bola area will be granted protective status. they can apply for deportation protection as well as 18-month long work permits. the department of homeland security says 8,000 people will be eligible under this program. >> on the hour's big immigration story, the president's executive order that will protect millions of undocumented immigrants from the threat of deportation. at the whitehouse is al jazeera's mike viqueira tonight. the president laying out the details but laying down the gauntlet to say he is exceeding authority. >> i was going to say the same thing. the president was passionate. he was also defiant. he says, i have the authority in the face of acsdwaingsz that he is acting -- accusations that he is acting like tyrant but the president framed it, not of forgiveness but of accou accountabili accountability. he says there is no way you are going to deport 11 and a half million people. we have to accept reality, face the fact that the real hypocracy is holding the values that we have as americans and yet not allowing individuals to come forward, and that's what the president proposes to do. he says he's got the legal authority to do it. a legislative fight is going to come. there is no question about that. perhaps afternoon court fight brought by republicans. here is a little bit more of what the president had to say: >> the actions i am taking are not only lawfully. they are the kind of actions taken by every single republican president and every singledrantic president for the past half century. those members of congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better or question the wisdom of me acting where congress has failed, i have one answer: pass a bill. i want to work with both parties to pass a more permanent legislative solution. the day i sign that bill in to law, the actions i take will no longer be necessary. >> so what can republicans do to stop what the president has planned? they still have the power of the purse and there happens to be another bill that would fund the government, joie, due on december 11th. they are talking about inserting provisions, riders, if you will, that would doe fund any action the government takes to enforce or enact what the president wants to do. both leaders have congress, the incoming majority leader in the senate, mitch mcconnell, of course, the republican and john boehner reacted before the president's speech. let's listen. >> if president obama acts in defiance of the people and imposes his will on the country, congress will act. we are considering a variety of options. but make no mistake. make no mistake. when the newly elected representatives of the people take their seats, they will act. >> instead of working together to fix our broken immigration system, the president says he's acting on his own. >> that's just not how our democracy works. the president has said before that he is not kidding and he is not never but he is acting like one. he is doing at a time when they want nothing more than for us to act together. >> as defiant as those republican leaders are, they have a political problem. they understand that they have to do something on immigration reform. it's simply a political reality going forward with a growing latino population in this country, a voting age population. so the president has him in something of a box because the right-wing, the tea party faction, conservatives who are so insensed with what the president is using going forward they are using the "i" word. leaders are trying to rein them in while satisfying their need to fight what the president has done. >> mike, there are other ways they can go about signalling their displeasure, after all, for example, i have heard some are considering tryi trying to hold up the president's nominees. >> that's right. when republicans take over in january, they will have the ability to do so. they will have the majority. they can block the president's judicial nominees. >> that's what ted cruz wants to do. there are others, joie, who frankly want to go further. i think we are going to see a pitched battle over funding because the conservative base is not going to be satisfied with anything less than that. >> could happen as early as next month. joie? >> al jazeera white house correspondent mike viqueira, thanks so much. another potential showdown is brewing in ferguson, missouri, where there is growing anticipation over whether the grand jury will charge anyone in the shooting death of unarmed teenager michael brown over the summer. a small group of protesters gathered wednesday night outside the police department calling for the indictment of police officer darren wilson. he was on involved in the shooting. police arrested five people for blocking a street. residents, police, and city leaders all on edge. america tonight's laura jane glehall is in ferguson. you have had an exchange of someone who has spoken with officer wilson. >> say that again. did i talk to a union official that talked to darren wilson if that's what you said? i did talk to an official who said he did talk to darren wilson. he says he is confident that darren wilson not going to be indicted. he said darren wilson seems confident. if you are not on the grand jury, you really can't predict what's going to happen. i will say there's been a lot of anticipation that's been building here over the last few days. the protests we haven't sign a whole lot going on here on the road but i will say there is a ton of media that's been coming in to town, and as the anticipation builds, i can tell you that one of the things that contributed that anticipation was the prosecute ors office today. they sent out an e-mail late this afternoon saying, this is a test e-mail to a bunch of different journalists which set everybody off reminding us this is going to be an imminent decision made sometime soon. the rewind minder was from mike brown's father, he issued a statement reminding the people to when the announcement is maid. >> i thank you to lifting your voice to racial profiling but hurting others or destroying property is not the answer. no matter what the grand jury decides, i do not want my son's death to be any vain. i want it to lead to incredible change, positive change, change that makes the st. louis region better for everyone. we live here together. this is our home. we are stronger united. continue to lift your voices with us and let's work together to heal, to create lasting change for all people regardless of race. >> so joie, this wasn't the first time that they have asked for peace. mike brown's family. we talked a lot to the protesters out here and the organizers and they have vowed to keep the peace. >> that's what they want to do. the police also have said they like to keep this peaceful, but of course, that remains to be se seen. you never know how people are going to react once this announcement is made. >> laura jane, there has been some indication both from the state, from the governor's office and the local law enforcement that they do want to make sure that they have officers in place in case trouble does break out. >> yeah. i mean we have been talking about this for several weeks now. i mean all that's been doing is tongs of -- tons of preparation, i think, on the protesters, then, and, on the government and the police have been training over and over again. they have been practicing first amendment rights, 14th amendment rights. they have been talking about what their strategies are. protest organizers have been talking about what they want to do if they see things that are violent or if they want to go to a safe place. one thing that's interesting is it's very cold here right now. i looked at the weather for the next couple of days. tomorrow, it's supposed to be cold with a chance of rain and the following two days, rainy, which one might think that could kong tribute to deterring people from coming out. but at the same time, we talked to protest orders who say they vowed to be out here one way or the other regardless of what the agreement is. they will be celebrating or protesting and we still don't know exactly what day this is going to actually happen and when these people -- when everybody is going to be out here on the streets. >> when we were in ferguson, one of the indications was that some people had traveled long distances to ferguson to participate and protest. do you have any indication that any other outsiders are come in at this point, any bussed-in groups or anything of that nature? >> i think that's inevitable. we saw in the ferguson october event that happened, there were people who came from all over the country. i think there are people who have come in from, you know, different parts of the world as well to participate in this. we saw just last night, there were a few people that were arrested with a small protest and some of them were not from this direct area. i mean definitely, many of the people that aren't -- are not from directly from ferguson. there are people who come from the surrounding communities. so, i think this is definitely an issue that has sparked interest and created a movement from people all around the country and even around the world. >> "america tonight's laura jean glehall is in ferguson missouri. thank y thank you. after the break, immigration reform on the local level. one midwest community nearly overrun by trouble. >> imagine that you have 100 to 150 giles standing on the corner for eight to 10 hours a day. not all of them are interested in working. so we had people were just interested in drinking and hanging out. we had people were interested in selling drugs. >> he went from making arrests to making a friends in the community. how a radical change has made all the difference. sglofrnlin . did the u.s. offer to pay a ransom for bo bergdal's return? we will request the pentagon's main spokesman. vladimir putin's claim that the united states is pressing him into a cold war and the queen of sweeden wanting to save the world's most vulnerable children. we will see you at the top of the hour. >> we follow up on the president's sweeping action on immigration. in many parts of this country, the debate over undocumented immigrants is mostly centered on how to get rid of them. >> used to be the case in kansas city missouri. day laborers once swarmed the city's street. then change came from an unexpected source. america tonight with a closer look at a program making a difference in kansas city. >> this was the location of the ad hoc day labor site. >> matt thomson a veteran cop that patrols the largely hispanic west side neighborhood in an unmarked pickup truck. for 50 years, police have been dealing with immigrants from mexico and central america who come to this part of kansas city looking for work. >> imagine that you have 100 to 150 guys standing on the corner for 8 to 10 hours day. not all of them are interested in working. so we had people were just interested in drinking. and hanging out. we had people who were interested in selling drugs. >> when you started out here, were you kind of a hard-ass? >> yeah. yeah. i mean, yeah. >> a former narcotics officer, thomas got aside to this part of town 12 years ago when the immigrant population of kansas city was exploding. hundreds of day laborers, nearly all undocumented, would hang out in this parking lot hoping to bargain with those cruising the strip for cheap labor. >> people passed out literally on the sidewalks. we had all of those guys standing there and no restroom facilities i got at least two different calls from hysterical elderly residents saying there was a naked man showering in the backyard with their water faucet. so, it was a mess. it truly was a mess. >> at the tenderloin grill across the street from that parking lot, the family that owns this cafe got fed up with the petty crime. >> hi, there. >> ashley rule who took over from her grandfather said some of the day laborers would retaliate when they called the cops. >> lots of bums, trash everywhere, just a lot of graffiti and destruction of property, i would say the most. when i replaced the windows four years ago, there were at least eight bullet holes coming through. >> when you had that kind of disorder, you go in and you establish order. zero tolerance. >> zero tolerance. spitting on the sidewalk. any drinking in public, any public urination, you go to jail. >> how many arrests would you make in a day? >> eight, 10, 12. i arrested one guy three times in the same day. >> the feds cracked down, too. immigration and customs enforcement known as ice stepped up its raids, calling off un -- hauling off undocumented i am grasped and deporting them but the zero tolerance approach got zero in the way of lasting results. >> did it make anything better? did it change that negative behavior? no. >> in fact, the crackdowns alienated the neighborhood's established hispanic population who complained good men were being swept up with the bad. the top tactedics also left the honest day laborers more fearful of police afraid to talk with them. hector gonzalez was one of those who used to hang out on the street looking for work. >> when they ask you something, you are scared and you don't answer nothing right. it makes to you worry about, you know, the police. >> okay, hector. >> what was the relationship between the police and the i am grafton community? >> well, there was no relationship. >> linda callana long-time community activist says is the get tough approach, many come from areas where police are not protected. those come from third-world countries, the police is the enemy. the police are the people shaking you down. the police are the people kidnapping your kids. >> by now, matt tomasick was understand more pressure from his bosses to clean up the neighborhood. zero tolerance had failed. so, he turned to linda callan for help. >> he finally, out of exasperation and said, what do we do? she suggested a center where day laborers could work work off of the street and he said, duh, of course this makes sense. callan and tomasic cringonvincee owner of happy building to fix up a building and can responsors this operation. >> is this their home away from home? the new arrivals had a place to do their launched re, take a shower, use the -- laundry, use the bathroom. our lady of guadalajara welcomed the -- guadalupe are homesqless. >> you need to have clean clothes and be presentable for the boss. this allows them to do that. >> this comes in handy? >> it sure does. >> officer thomasick who has a office here noticed the difference between those who stopped in and those who didn't. >> helped him. >> if i am giving you a place to use the restroom and you are still choose to go go in the street, you are telling me something about your intention. it was my first step in deconstructing the mob. >>. is it homasick noticed something different in himself as well. by the guys coming in, i started to develop a relationship with them starts seeing them like human beings. everything got easier quickly after that. >> reporter: in return for a safe place to congregate, the laborers are expected to pitch in on days they are not hired, cooking lunch for the others, painting over graffiti in the neighborhood, tunde tending to public gardens. >> soon, thomasick got a new bilingual partner, former homicide detective who grew up on the west side, the son of undocumented immigrants from mexico. >> i look at these men and think my parents came here for the same reason to give me a better life. i was blessed to be a citizen. and look at them and say they are the ones destroying my country it's hard for me to do right now. for his part, matt thomasick took spanish classes where he learned less options beyond the language. >> the vast percentage of them are here because there is no other alternative. >> they need to work. >> and they can't in their homeland. i respect that. i've got to feed my family. i do what it takes. >> the new relationship with the men has paid off. >> what kind of change have you noticed? >> a significant change. there aren't people hanging out during the middle of the streets, drinking, urinate okay themselves, a boater presence for people to be around. >> thomasick and villalobos say their efforts have cracked more serious crimes because of their work with the men, immigrants throughout the neighborhood who once feared the police now approach them, tipping them off to possible crimes. >> vun able to solve crimes because you do have trust of some folks here that you didn't have before? >> i have been able to solve four homicides because of this approach. not because i am a super cop but because of the relationships and the trust that i have amongst the people who live here, work here, go to school here, have businesses here. >> now, officer thommasick is convinced his ol' hard-ass approach never made since for such a diverse community. now, he sees himself less like dirty harry and more like andy of mayberry? >> i carry a gun but our goal is to be felt about the same way that people in mayberry felt about andy. he is .1 of us. >> so, as the debate about undocumented immigrants rages, one corner of kansas city has adopted an old-fashion approach out of the american midwest: give newcomers a little respect and dignity and they may respond in kind. chris bury, al jazeera, kansas city, missouri. >> after the break, here, a final curtain call, the master who brought us some of the film's most memorable moments, we remember oscar winner michael ingle. ♪ ♪ >> start with one issue education... gun control... the gap between rich and poor... job creation... climate change... tax policy... the economy... iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america ♪ ♪ finally, ab curtain call, director mike nichols has passed away at 83 years old. he filled the stage and big screen with stories that captivated generations and let a mark on american cinema that will never be forgotten. >> should i just stand here? i mean, i don't know what you want me to do. >> your watch? >> sure. thank you. >> mike nichols liked to say the only safe thing is to take a chance. and throughout a career that spanned more than half a century, that's exactly what he did. the 9-time tony winner was one of only a handful of people to also earn an oscar, an emmy and a grammy. born in berlin, nichols was only seven years old when he fled nazi germany and arrived in the states speaking little english. he was a medical student at the university of chicago when he found his true calling: joining elaine may as a comedy duo and moving to new york. >> it is a moral issue. >> a moral issue. >> to me, that's always so much more interesting than a real issue. >> yeah. >> his work shone on broadway but his directing for the silver screen begin with three blockbuster films in five years left american cinema forever changed. >> maybe georgie boy didn't have the stuff. maybe he didn't have it in him. >> stop it, martha. >> like hell, i will. >> he was only 35 when he directed his first film, "who is afraid of virginia wolfe?" ♪ >> a screen adaptation of "who is afraid of virginia wolfe" nominated for 13 ausc-arizona one year later with a film starting a then little known actor named dustin hoffman that nichols, himself, became a household name. >> mrs. robinson, do you think we could say a few words to each other first this time? >> i don't think we have much to say to each other. >> the graduate not only earned nichols an academy award for best director and best film, but it became a cultural touchstone. >> here we are. you got me into your house. you give me a drink. you put on music. now, you start opening up your personal life to me and tell me your husband won't be home for hours the? >> so? >> mrs. robinson, you are trying to said use me. >> in an interview with "america tonig tonight's" adam may, his sense of humor. >> i think laster as time to one's life. i think everybody in america that laughed where mike nichols helped them laugh owes him a debt of gratitude. >> it was unparalleled. he spoke of it unabashedly. >> it's what i love as much as, in fact, my family. and i am lucky. i feel lucky. that's what i mostly feel. >> he is survived by his wife, abc's news diane sawyer. our thoughts are with her and all of his family. >> that's "america tonight" this weekend, a photographer capturing life and death on the stree streets of one of america's most violent cities, the streets of philadelphia, a community in crisis. >> that's sunday on "america tonight." if you would like to comment on any of the stories you have seen on our program tonight, log on to our website, aljazeera.com/america tonight. you can always join the conversation with us on twitter or at our facebook page. good night. we will see you next time for more of america tonight. >> consider this: the news of the day plus so much more. >> we begin with the growing controversy. >> answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> real perspective, consider this on al jazeera america >> president obama dares congress to act as he goes it alone, changing american immigration policy. and also, the pentagon's main spokesman on allegations that we are paying ransom. and the queen of sweden helping at risk kids around the world. hello, i'm antonio mora with consider this. those stories and much more ahead.