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DavidBier_2019S-_客工签证如何改变美国的移民体系_-
By October 2018, 到 2018 年 10 月,
Juan Carlos Rivera could no longer afford to live in his home in Copan, Honduras. 胡安 · 卡洛斯 · 里维拉 （Juan Carlos Rivera）就再也无法 继续住在他位于 洪都拉斯科潘的家了。
afford:v.给予,提供;买得起;
As the " Dallas Morning News" reported, a gang was taking 10 percent of his earnings from his barber shop. 据《达拉斯晨报》报道, 一个帮派会跟他索要 他理发店 10% 的营业额,
Dallas:n.达拉斯(美国城市); gang:n.一群; v.(英)去; earnings:n.收益;收入;利润;赢利; barber:vt.为…理发;修整;n.理发师;vi.当理发师;
His wife was assaulted going to her pre-K teaching job. 他的妻子在去幼儿园上班路上被袭击。
assaulted:v.猛烈攻击,袭击,侵犯人身;使(感官)难受;(assault的过去分词和过去式)
And they were concerned about the safety of their young daughter. 他们非常担心小女儿的安全。
concerned:adj.有关的;关心的;v.关心;与…有关;(concern的过去时和过去分词)
What could they do? 他们能怎么办？
Run away? 逃走？
Seek asylum in another country? 去另一个国家寻求庇护？
Seek:v.寻求;寻找;谋求; asylum:n.庇护;收容所,救济院;
They didn't want to do that. 他们不想这么做。
They just wanted to live in their country safely. 他们只想安全地生活在他们的国家。
But their options were limited . 但他们的选择有限。
options:n.选择; v.得到或获准进行选择; (option的三单形式) limited:adj.有限的; n.高级快车; v.限制; (limit的过去分词和过去式)
So that month, 所以,在那个月,
Juan Carlos moved his family to a safer location while he joined a group of migrants on the long and perilous journey from Central America to a job a family member said was open for him in the United States. 胡安 · 卡洛斯把家人 转移到了一个更安全的地方, 而他自己则加入了一群移民, 踏上了这漫长而危险的旅程, 从中美洲 到美国,因为一位亲戚说 那里有工作提供给他。
location:n.地方;地点;位置;定位 migrants:n.移民;移居者;候鸟(migrant的复数形式); perilous:adj.危险的,冒险的; journey:n.旅行;行程;vi.旅行; Central America:n.中美洲(包括危地马拉、伯利兹、洪都拉斯、萨尔瓦多、尼加拉瓜、哥斯达黎加以及巴拿马); United:adj.联合的; v.联合,团结; (unite的过去分词和过去式)
By now we're all familiar with what awaited them at the US-Mexico border. 现在,我们非常清楚在美墨边境, 等待着他们的是什么——
familiar:adj.熟悉的;常见的;亲近的;n.常客;密友; awaited:等候;等待;
The harsher and harsher penalties doled out to those crossing there. 对越境者日趋严格的处罚,
harsher:刺耳的;粗糙的;严厉的(harsh的比较级); penalties:n.处罚,惩罚;点球(penalty的复数);罚款; doled:v.发放救济;以小份发给;(dole的过去分词和过去式)
The criminal prosecutions for crossing illegally . 对非法越境的起诉,
prosecutions:n.(被)起诉,检举;诉讼;原告,控方;实施;从事;进行;(prosecution的复数) illegally:adv.非法地;
The inhumane detention . 非人道的拘留,
inhumane:adj.残忍的;无人情味的; detention:n.拘留;延迟;挽留;
And most terribly, separation of families. 以及最糟的,是与家人的分离。
separation:n.分离;分开;分割;隔离;
I'm here to tell you that not only is this treatment wrong, it's unnecessary. 我要告诉大家的是, 如此对待越境者不仅是错的, 也是不必要的。
treatment:n.治疗;疗法;对待;处理;讨论;
This belief that the only way to maintain order is with inhumane means is inaccurate . 认为只有通过以上非人道手段 才能维护边境秩序的观点 也是不准确的。
maintain:v.维持;保持;维修;保养;坚持(意见); inaccurate:adj.错误的;
And in fact, the opposite is true. 恰恰相反,
Only a humane system will create order at the border. 只有一个人道的体系才能维持边境秩序。
When safe, orderly, legal travel to the United States is available, very few people choose travel that is unsafe , disorderly or illegal. 当人们得以安全、有序、 合法地抵达美国时, 选择冒险非法越境的人 将会寥寥无几。
unsafe:adj.不安全的;危险的;不安稳的; disorderly:adj.混乱的,无秩序的;骚乱的;无法无天的;adv.杂乱地,无秩序地;
Now, I appreciate the idea that legal immigration could just resolve the border crisis might sound a bit fanciful . 现在我很欣赏这一想法: “合法移民可以解决边境危机”。 可能这听上去有点异想天开。
appreciate:v.欣赏;感激;感谢;理解; immigration:n.外来移民;移居; resolve:vt.决定; vi.解决; n.坚决; crisis:n.危机;危险期;决定性时刻;adj.危机的;用于处理危机的; fanciful:adj.想像的;稀奇的;
But here is the good news: 但有个好消息是,
We have done this before. 我们曾经做到了。
I've been working on immigration for years at the Cato Institute and other think tanks in Washington DC and as the senior policy adviser for a republican member of Congress , negotiating bipartisan immigration reform . 我曾在卡托研究所（Cato Institute） 从事移民研究数年, 也曾供职于其他位于华盛顿的智库, 和作为共和党国会议员的政策顾问 协商两党移民政策。
Institute:v.开始(调查);制定;创立;提起(诉讼);n.学会,协会;学院; senior:adj.大;级别(或地位)高的;成人的;高级水平的;n.上级;上司;较…年长的人; policy:n.政策,方针;保险单; adviser:n.顾问;劝告者;指导教师(等于advisor); republican:adj.共和国的;共和政体的;共和主义的;拥护共和政体的;n.共和主义者; Congress:n.国会;代表大会;会议;社交; negotiating:v.谈判;磋商;协商;商定;达成协议;(negotiate的现在分词) bipartisan:adj.两党连立的;代表两党的; reform:v.改革;改进;改良;(使)悔改;n.改革;改良;改善;
And I've seen firsthand how America has implemented a system of humane order at the border for Mexico. 关于美国如何 在美墨边境建立人道的管理系统, 我曾拿到过第一手资料。
firsthand:adj.直接的;直接采购的;直接得来的;adv.直接地; implemented:v.使生效;贯彻;执行;实施;(implement的过去式和过去分词)
It's called a guest worker program. 这个项目被称作客工专案。
guest worker:n.(通常指来自穷国的)客籍工人;
And here's the even better news. 还有更好的消息,
We can replicate this success for Central America. 我们可以把这项成功 用于中美洲问题上。
replicate:vt.复制; vi.重复; adj.复制的; n.复制品;
Of course, some people will still need to seek asylum at the border. 当然,有些人 仍需要在边境寻找庇护所。
But to understand how successful this could be for immigrants like Juan Carlos, understand that until recently , nearly every immigrant arrested by Border Patrol was Mexican. 但请想一想这一专案将如何 使得像胡安 · 卡洛斯这样的移民受益; 而且最近, 几乎每一个被边境巡逻队 逮捕的移民都是墨西哥人。
immigrants:n.移民(immigrant的复数); recently:adv.最近;新近; Patrol:n.巡逻;巡逻队;侦察队;vt.巡逻;巡查;vi.巡逻;巡查;
In 1986, each Border Patrol agent arrested 510 Mexicans. 1986 年, 平均每位边境巡逻人员 每年逮捕 510 位墨西哥人,
agent:n.代理人,代理商;药剂;特工;v由…作中介;由…代理;adj.代理的;
Well over one per day. 日均逮捕超一人。
By 2019, this number was just eight. 到了 2019 年,这一数字降至 8 人,
That's one every 43 days. 意味着平均 43 天才一人。
It is a 98 percent reduction . 减少了 98% 。
reduction:n.减少;缩小;降低;减价;折扣;缩图;
So where have all the Mexicans gone? 那么这些墨西哥人去了哪里呢？
The most significant change is that the US began issuing hundreds of thousands of guest worker visas to Mexicans, so that they can come legally. 最重大的变化在于, 美国向墨西哥人 发放了数十万的客工签证, 让他们得以合法地来到这个国家。
significant:adj.重大的;有效的;有意义的;值得注意的;意味深长的;n.象征;有意义的事物; issuing:n.发行物;争论点;期刊号;v.发行(issue的ing形式);分配;流出; visas:n.(护照的)签证;v.发签证;(visa的第三人称单数和复数)
José Vásquez Cabrera was among the first Mexican guest workers to take advantage of this visa expansion . 何塞·巴斯克斯·卡布雷拉 （José Vásquez Cabrera） 是首批获益于 签证开放政策的墨西哥客工。
take advantage of:利用; expansion:n.扩张;膨胀;扩展;扩大;
He told "The New York Times" that before his visa he'd made terrifying illegal border crossings, braving near deadly heat and the treachery of the landscape . 他告诉《纽约时报》, 在获得他的签证前, 他尝试过可怕的非法越境方式—— 勇敢地面对致命的高温, 与险象环生的沿途环境。
terrifying:adj.令人恐惧的;骇人的;极大的;v.使害怕,使恐怖;(terrify的现在分词) deadly:adj.致命的;非常的;死一般的;adv.非常;如死一般地; treachery:n.背叛;变节;背叛行为; landscape:n.景观;乡村风景画;(文件的)横向打印格式;v.对…做景观美化;美化…的环境;
One time, a snake killed a member of his group. 曾有一次,他的团里有人被蛇咬死。
Thousands of other Mexicans also didn't make it, dying of dehydration in the deserts or drowning in the Rio Grande . 成千上万的墨西哥人没能成功越境, 最终在沙漠中脱水而死 或葬身于格兰德河。
dehydration:n.脱水; drowning:v.溺水;淹没;淹死,溺死;浸泡;(drown的现在分词) Grande:adj.重大的,显要的;
Millions more were chased down and arrested. 数百万人被追捕。
Guest worker visas have nearly ended this inhumane chaos . 客工签证的签发几乎终止了 这些非人道主义混乱。
chaos:n.混沌,混乱;
As Vásquez Cabrera put it, "I no longer have to risk my life to support my family. 正如巴斯克斯 · 卡布雷拉 （Vásquez Cabrera）所言, “我不再需要冒着生命危险 来养活我的家庭,
And when I'm here, I don't have to live in hiding." 而当我抵达了美国后, 我不再需要东躲西藏地生活。”
Guest worker visas actually reduced the number of illegal crossings more than the number of visas issued . 客工签证减少的非法越境数量, 甚至高于签证实际签发的数量。
issued:v.宣布;公布;发出;将…诉诸法律;(issue的过去分词和过去式)
Jose Bacilio, another Mexican guest worker, explained why to the "Washington Post" in April. 另一位墨西哥客工, 何塞·巴西里奥（Jose Bacilio） 在 4 月向《华盛顿邮报》解释了原因。
He said, even though he hadn't received a visa this year, he wouldn't risk all of his future chances by crossing illegally. 他说道,即使他今年未能获得签证, 他也不会为了非法越境而 赌上他的未来。
This likely helps explain why for every guest worker admitted legally from Mexico, there was a decline in two arrests of Mexicans crossing illegally. 这或多或少能解释为何 每当有一位客工从墨西哥合法入境, 因非法入境而遭逮捕的 墨西哥人就会减少两名。
decline:v.下降;衰退;减少;谢绝;n.下降;
Now, it's true, 的确,
Mexican guest workers do some really tough jobs. 墨西哥客工们做着非常辛苦的工作,
Picking fruit, cleaning crabs , landscaping in a 100-degree heat. 采摘水果,清洗螃蟹, 在 38 摄氏度的高温下做园艺工作。
crabs:n.蟹类;吊钳;脾气坏的人(crab的复数);v.捕蟹;抱怨;侧航(crab的三单形式); landscaping:v.对…做景观美化;美化…的环境;(landscape的现在分词)
And some critics maintain that guest worker visas are not actually humane and that the workers are just abused slaves. 有些批评的声音认为 客工签证并不人道, 那些客工就是被虐待的奴隶。
critics:n.评论家;批评者;吹毛求疵的人(critic的复数); abused:v.滥用(以致危害健康); (abuse的过去分词和过去式)
But Vásquez Cabrera thought a guest worker visa was liberating . 但巴斯克斯 · 卡布雷拉认为 客工签证是一种解放,
liberating:v.解放;使自由;使摆脱约束(或限制);(liberate的现在分词)
Not enslavement . 无关奴役。
enslavement:n.奴役;
And he, like nearly all other guest workers, chose the legal path over the illegal one, repeatedly . 正如其他客工,巴斯克斯 · 卡布雷拉 也坚持选择以合法的方式入境。
repeatedly:adv.反复地;再三地;屡次地;
The expansion of guest worker visas to Mexicans has been among the most significant humane changes in US immigration policy ever. 给予墨西哥人更多的客工签证 是美国移民政策有史以来 最重大的人道主义转变。
And that humane change imposed order on chaos. 这一人道主义转变, 为混乱的边境带来了秩序。
imposed:adj.强加的;施加的;应用的;v.欺骗(impose的过去分词);把…强加于;
So where does this leave Central Americans, like Juan Carlos? 那么,这一举措对于像 胡安 · 卡洛斯一样的中美洲人 又意味着什么呢？
Well, Central Americans received just three percent of the guest worker visas issued in 2019, even as their share of border arrests has risen to 74 percent. 在 2019 年,只有 3% 的客工签证发给了中美洲人, 但在边境被捕的人当中, 中美洲人数已经上升到了 74% 。
The US issued just one guest worker visa to a Central American for every 78 who crossed the border illegally in 2019. 在 2019 年,每 78 名 中美洲非法越境者中, 才有一名中美洲人 得到合法客工签证。
So if they can't get their papers at home, many take their chances, coming up through Mexico to claim asylum at the border or cross illegally, even if, like Juan Carlos, they prefer to come to work. 如果他们无法通过 合法渠道获得入境许可, 很多人就会开始冒险—— 到墨西哥边境处申请庇护, 或直接非法越境, 即使像胡安·卡洛斯这样的人们 更倾向于到美国工作。
claim:v.要求;声称;需要;认领;n.要求;声称;索赔;断言;值得; prefer:v.更喜欢;宁愿;提出;提升;
The US can do better. 美国有能力改善这一情况。
It needs to create new guest worker visas specifically for Central Americans. 这需要美国特别为中美洲国家 签发客工签证。
specifically:adv.特别地;明确地;
This would create an incentive for US businesses to seek out and hire Central Americans, paying for their flights to the United States, and diverting them from the illegal, dangerous trek north. 这将成为美国市场雇佣 中美洲人的一大激励因素—— 报销中美洲人的旅费、 将他们从违法而危险的 北上旅程中拯救。
incentive:n.动机;刺激;adj.激励的;刺激的; diverting:adj.有趣的;令人快乐的;v.使转移;使得到消遣(divert的现在分词); trek:v.长途跋涉;远足,徒步旅行;n.长途跋涉(尤指在山区);
Central Americans could build flourishing lives at home, without the need to seek asylum at the border or cross illegally, freeing up an overwhelmed system. 中美洲人可以在国内过上富足的生活, 而不用再在边境处需求庇护所 或非法越境, 这将解放被压垮的 边境移民管理系统。
flourishing:adj.繁荣的;繁茂的;v.繁荣;兴旺;茁壮成长;(flourish的现在分词) overwhelmed:v.受打击,压倒;淹没;(overwhelm的过去分词和过去式)
Some people might say that letting the workers go back and forth will never work in Central America where violence is so high. 有些人可能会说, 允许工人们来回奔波, 并不会真正帮到 暴力肆虐的中美洲。
back and forth:前后移动的,来回的,反复的; violence:n.暴力;侵犯;激烈;歪曲;
But again, it worked in Mexico, even as Mexico's murder rate more than tripled over the last decade, to a level higher than much of Central America. 但是这个方法在墨西哥奏效了, 即使墨西哥的谋杀率 在过去十年间增长了至少两倍, 高于中美洲大部分国家。
tripled:adj.三倍的;三方的;n.三倍数;三个一组;vi.增至三倍;vt.使成三倍;
And it would work for Juan Carlos, who said, despite the threats he only wants to live in the United States temporarily , to make enough money to sustain his family in their new home. 这将会对胡安 · 卡洛斯奏效, 因为他说,即使危机重重, 他只想暂时在美国生活, 以赚取足够的钱财, 能让他的家庭继续住在新家。
despite:prep.尽管,不管;n.轻视;憎恨;侮辱; temporarily:adv.临时地,临时; sustain:v.支持;支撑;遭受;证实;
He even suggested that a guest worker program would be one of the best things to help Hondurans like him. 他甚至认为,客工专案 是对他这样的洪都拉斯人而言 最好的援助项目之一。
Cintia, a 29-year-old single mother of three from Honduras, seems to agree. 一位 29 岁,抚养三个孩子的 洪都拉斯单身母亲辛提雅 （Cintia）, 似乎也同意这一点。
She told the " Wall Street Journal " that she came for a job to support her kids and her mom. 她告诉《华尔街日报》, 她为了抚养孩子们和照顾她的母亲 才来到美国。
Wall Street:n.华尔街(美国纽约金融中心和证券交易所所在地); Journal:n.杂志;日记;日志;(用于报纸名)…报;
Surveys of Central Americans traveling through Mexico, by the College of the Northern Border in Mexico, confirm that Juan and Cintia are the norm . 由墨西哥北方边境大学 对穿越墨西哥的中美洲人 所做的一项调查, 证实了大多数中美洲人 像胡安和辛提雅一样。
Surveys:n.调查(survey的复数); norm:n.规范;标准;定额;常态;v.规范;规定;
Most, not all, but most do come for jobs, even if, like the Riveras, they may also face some real threats at home. 大多数中美洲人为了工作来到美国, 即使很多人可能像胡安一样, 在本国也面临着巨大的生存威胁。
How much would a low-wage job help a Honduran, like Juan or Cintia? 一份低薪水的工作,又如何 能帮到像胡安和辛提雅 这样的洪都拉斯人呢？
Hondurans like them make as much in one month in the United States as they do in an entire year working in Honduras. 像他们一样的洪都拉斯人 在美国一个月的工资 可以抵得上他们在 洪都拉斯工作一年的收入。
A few years' work in the United States can propel a Central American into its upper middle class where safety is easier to come by. 而在美国工作几年的工资 可使一位中美洲人 跃升到社会中上阶层, 同时使生活更安全。
propel:v.推进;驱使;激励;驱策; upper:adj.上面的;内陆的;n.靴面;兴奋剂; middle class:adj.中产阶级的;中层社会的;
What Central Americans lack is not the desire to work. 中美洲人现在不缺少对工作的渴求,
Not the desire to contribute to the US economy , to contribute to the lives of Americans. 不缺少为美国经济、 美国人民做出贡献的渴望。
contribute to:有助于;捐献; economy:n.经济;节约;理财;
What Central Americans lack is a legal alternative to asylum. 他们缺少的是一个 边境避难所的合法替代方案——
alternative:adj.供选择的;选择性的;交替的;n.二中择一;供替代的选择;
To be able to do so legally. 合法在美国工作的许可。
Of course, a new guest worker program will not resolve 100 percent of this complex phenomenon . 当然,一个新的客工专案 无法解决全部的移民问题。
complex:adj.复杂的;合成的;n.复合体;综合设施; phenomenon:n.现象;杰出的人;非凡的人(或事物);
Many asylum seekers will still need to seek safety at the US border. 或许很多寻找庇护的人 仍然会在美国边境寻求安置。
seekers:n.探求者;搜查人;
But with the flows reduced, we can more easily work out ways to deal with them humanely . 但当趋势减缓, 我们更容易想办法 以人道的方式来帮助他们。
humanely:adv.人道地;富人情地;慈悲地;
But ultimately , no single policy has proven to do more to create an immigration system that is both humane and orderly than to let the workers come legally. 但最终, 没有任何一项政策被证明 比让工人合法入境更有助于 建立一个 既人道又有序的移民体系。
ultimately:adv.最终;最后;归根结底;终究;
Thank you. 谢谢。
(Applause) （掌声）