美国国家公共电台 NPR Despite Escaping To The U.S., These Brothers Are Still Terrorized By The MS-13 Gang

 

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

The MS-13 street gang is behind a string of grisly murders on Long Island, N.Y. The gang started in Los Angeles, but it has roots in Central America. It often looks for new members by targeting immigrant teenagers. Today, NPR's Joel Rose and Sarah Gonzalez of member station WNYC have the first of three stories about a family that feels caught between law enforcement and the deadly gang they're trying to root out.

SARAH GONZALEZ, BYLINE¹: One by one, three teenage brothers left Guatemala on foot and made their way to the U.S. They walked alone across Mexico trying to escape La Mara Salvatrucha, the gang known as MS-13. Now they're together again, reunited with their mom who came here years ago. They're all living in a rural part of Long Island.

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GONZALEZ: And they're being terrorized by the same gang they fled. MS-13 tried to recruit them in high school. They say they refused to join. Their friends refused, too. That's when they all became targets.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: (Speaking Spanish).

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Speaking Spanish).

GONZALEZ: So they attacked your friends with a machete?

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Si.

GONZALEZ: That's the oldest brother. NPR agreed not to use the names of the brothers or their mother because they fear for their safety. Their friends survived the attack, but they're covered in scars.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Speaking Spanish).

GONZALEZ: "They have gashes² on their heads, necks, legs and arms." Then, MS-13 came after the brothers. Five of them showed up at a soccer field in a green Honda with machetes. The brothers ran to their coach, who drove them home.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Speaking Spanish).

GONZALEZ: That's the middle brother. He says they were still shaking when their mom took them to the police station.

JOEL ROSE, BYLINE: Many of the undocumented children who came to the U.S. without their parents or a guardian³, like these three brothers, say they feel cornered. They're being terrorized by MS-13.

GONZALEZ: And, as we'll see, they have reason to worry that police and even school officials are looking at them as potential gang members.

ROSE: More than 8,000 of the migrant children seeking refuge from violence in Central America have been resettled on Long Island, one of the largest communities of these kids anywhere in the country. We decided⁴ to follow the three brothers because their situation reveals a lot about what these young people are facing. Patrick Young is a lawyer with the nonprofit CARECEN.

PATRICK YOUNG: They're coming from areas where Mara Salvatrucha wielded⁵ great power.

ROSE: Young's group helps Central American immigrants on Long Island. When these kids arrive in the U.S. and run into the gang again, he says, it can be terrifying.

YOUNG: Then they come to the conclusion that this is just like a Honduras or just like Guatemala, where nobody in officialdom will do anything.

ROSE: The White House says the so-called unaccompanied children are bringing MS-13 and bloodshed with them. Here's President Trump⁶ on Long Island last month.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: MS-13 surged into the country and scoured⁷ and just absolutely destroyed so much in front of it.

ROSE: MS-13 has been linked to 17 homicides since last year in Suffolk County, Long Island, including some by machete. That was about one third of all the killings⁸ there. But here's the thing. When unaccompanied children arrive in the U.S., very few of them are confirmed or suspected members of MS-13. Federal officials counted just 56.

GONZALEZ: That's out of more than 200,000 young people apprehended⁹ by Customs and Border Protection since 2011. And on Long Island, police say unaccompanied minors¹⁰ are more likely to be the gang's victims. After the brothers were chased with machetes, the police gave the family a box.

It looks like a toolbox, black with an antenna¹¹ and an old, yellowing remote with one button.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: For protect - like the bad people, from the gang.

GONZALEZ: It's a panic button.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: When you press this button, the polices come for hurt (ph) your family.

GONZALEZ: So they said take this box. If something happens, push this button, and the police and detectives will come.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Yeah.

GONZALEZ: The family keeps the remote in a jewelry¹² box above a window by the mom's bed. They've had it for six months and haven't had to use it.

"Thank God," the mom says.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: (Speaking Spanish).

GONZALEZ: But now this family is accused of being affiliated¹³ with MS-13. First, the youngest brother was suspended from high school for wearing a shirt with the Chicago Bulls logo on it. Bullhorns are the symbol for MS-13. The family is fighting the suspension. The mom says she had no idea about the gang connection when she bought the shirt.

School officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The youngest brother says only immigrants students are told they can't wear certain colors or emblems¹⁴.

UNIDENTIFIED BOY #2: (Speaking Spanish).

GONZALEZ: Racist¹⁵? Por que?

UNIDENTIFIED BOY #2: (Speaking Spanish).

GONZALEZ: "It's just a bull," he says.

Then, the New York Civil Liberties Union got in touch. The civil rights group informed the family that they believe the oldest brother is on a list of suspected MS-13 members kept by the Suffolk County Police Department.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: (Speaking Spanish).

GONZALEZ: The mom doesn't understand how her sons can be threatened by MS-13 and then accused of being a part of it.

We asked Suffolk County Police Commissioner¹⁶ Timothy Sini about the family.

ROSE: Sini didn't want to talk about specific cases, but he did say the police are doing everything they can to protect these immigrants. He's also very clear; they want to stamp out MS-13. That's why they made a list of hundreds of suspected gang members. Police officers are assigned to follow every one, and they watch and wait until they commit an offense¹⁷ - any offense.

TIMOTHY SINI: The fact that you've been confirmed as an MS-13 gang member - that doesn't allow us to merely arrest you for a crime. But it does put you on our radar¹⁸ where you will be targeted by Suffolk County police officers for arrest.

ROSE: If suspected gang members don't have legal status, like many of these unaccompanied children, then police call federal immigration authorities. And those authorities can detain them and ask a court to deport¹⁹ them, even if the kids haven't been charged with a crime. Sini acknowledges that only a small number of unaccompanied children are involved in MS-13, but he's concerned the gang is trying to recruit more.

SINI: They don't speak English. They've never been to this country before. It's no wonder that many of these children are targets of MS-13 recruitment. And if we don't provide the support that they need, MS-13 will.

GONZALEZ: The three brothers and their mother are really grateful to the police for giving them a panic button. Still, they're worried. The oldest brother recently became a legal permanent resident. That means he'll have to be charged with a crime in order to face deportation²⁰. But his younger brothers - they're still seeking legal status here, and being accused of gang membership could jeopardize²¹ that.

For NPR News, I'm Sarah Gonzalez.

ROSE: And I'm Joel Rose.

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1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 gashes   

n.深长的切口（或伤口）( gash的名词复数 )v.划伤，割破( gash的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The classmates' hearts ached for him and they begged him to wear gloves to prevent any more gashes. 同学们都心疼他，劝他干活时戴上手套，免得再弄破手。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He stripped himself, and I counted twenty-seven separate scars and gashes. 他脱去衣服，我在他身上数出了二十七处瘢痕和深深的伤口。 来自辞典例句

3 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 wielded   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的过去式和过去分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• The bad eggs wielded power, while the good people were oppressed. 坏人当道，好人受气
• He was nominally the leader, but others actually wielded the power. 名义上他是领导者，但实际上是别人掌握实权。

6 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

7 scoured   

走遍（某地）搜寻（人或物）( scour的过去式和过去分词 )； （用力）刷； 擦净； 擦亮

参考例句：

• We scoured the area for somewhere to pitch our tent. 我们四处查看，想找一个搭帐篷的地方。
• The torrents scoured out a channel down the hill side. 急流沿着山腰冲刷出一条水沟。

8 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

9 apprehended   

逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解

参考例句：

• She apprehended the complicated law very quickly. 她很快理解了复杂的法律。
• The police apprehended the criminal. 警察逮捕了罪犯。

10 minors   

n.未成年人( minor的名词复数 )；副修科目；小公司；[逻辑学]小前提v.[主美国英语]副修，选修，兼修( minor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors. 法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had three minors this semester. 这学期他有三门副修科目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 antenna   

n.触角，触须；天线

参考例句：

• The workman fixed the antenna to the roof of the house.工人把天线固定在房顶上。
• In our village, there is an antenna on every roof for receiving TV signals.在我们村里，每家房顶上都有天线接收电视信号。

12 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

13 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。

14 emblems   

n.象征，标记( emblem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His emblems are the spear and the burning torch. 他佩带的徽记是长矛和燃烧着的火炬。 来自辞典例句
• Crystal prize, Crystal gift, Crystal trophy, Champion cup, Emblems. 水晶奖牌、水晶礼品、水晶纪念品、奖杯、金属奖牌。 来自互联网

15 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

16 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

17 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

18 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

19 deport   

vt.驱逐出境

参考例句：

• We deport aliens who slip across our borders.我们把偷渡入境的外国人驱逐出境。
• More than 240 England football fans are being deported from Italy following riots last night.昨晚的骚乱发生后有240多名英格兰球迷被驱逐出意大利。

20 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

21 jeopardize   

vt.危及，损害

参考例句：

• Overworking can jeopardize your health.工作过量可能会危及你的健康。
• If you are rude to the boss it may jeopardize your chances of success.如果你对上司无礼，那就可能断送你成功的机会。