美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump Officials Struggle To Meet Deadlines Even As More Migrant Families Reunited

 

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

The Trump¹ Administration announced this morning that it has completed the first phase of reuniting immigrant families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border. This comes two days after it missed a court-imposed deadline to reunite roughly a hundred children under the age of 5 with their families. Officials now say only 57 were eligible² for reunification. Monica Ortiz Uribe reports on the last-minute hustle³ to bring families together.

MONICA ORTIZ URIBE, BYLINE⁴: A sudden reunion on Tuesday night between three Central American fathers and their toddlers took Ruben Garcia by surprise. Garcia heads Annunciation House, an immigrant shelter in El Paso, one of many community organizations around the country assisting families that were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border. According to Garcia, the government relaxed a number of requirements, including DNA⁵ testing, which have delayed previous reunions.

RUBEN GARCIA: They wanted it done, and they got it done very fast. So that shows me that when they want to move on this, they can.

URIBE: In fact, earlier that same day, a federal judge told government lawyers that lengthy⁶ screening procedures were not appropriate with regards to ongoing⁷ reunification efforts. Instead, the judge ordered them to move more quickly. That's one reason Roger Andino of Honduras was able to hug his toddler for the first time in five months just hours before the court-imposed deadline expired.

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URIBE: The next morning, Roger Jr. sat in his father's lap, playing with a toy stereo. Before their reunion, Andino was held in a South Texas detention⁸ center. He says he threatened suicide to pressure authorities into allowing him regular phone calls with his son.

ROGER ANDINO: (Speaking Spanish).

URIBE: "Seeing my son again was marvelous," he said. "I was overcome with happiness and peace." Now Andino is traveling to meet other relatives in the U.S. He must check in with immigration officers while his asylum⁹ case moves through court. Officials are continuing to work rapidly to reunite families. Garcia at Annunciation House said it's a vast improvement over the government's previous efforts.

GARCIA: I'm asking, extend that same spirit of urgency to the 2,500 children that are still separated, and get it done.

URIBE: But on a call with reporters this morning, Chris Meekins with the Health and Human Services Department stressed that when it comes to releasing children, his agency must continue following its strict protocols¹⁰, including DNA testing.

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CHRIS MEEKINS: Each step of our process is necessary to protect children. Eliminating any one of these steps will endanger children.

URIBE: The deadline to reunite more than 2,000 children ages 5 and up is two weeks from today, and the government is still working to resolve 46 cases of children under age 5. They include kids whose relatives have already been deported¹¹. They also include cases where the adult - claiming the child has a criminal record. Government officials say other adults admitted they weren't the parents of the kids they claimed. These are the kids that concern Lee Gelernt, the ACLU attorney who's leading the court challenge against the administration's family separation policy.

LEE GELERNT: The government is supposed to be giving us specific information about each individual they are not going to reunify so we can follow up. And let me be clear. Some of those individuals will have the right to be reunited just not by the deadline.

URIBE: Gelernt said he was happy for the families now reunited but that it didn't excuse the government for missing the July 10 deadline. He said the ACLU is likely to seek penalties against the government at a court hearing scheduled tomorrow. For NPR News, I'm Monica Ortiz Uribe in El Paso.

1 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。

2 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

3 hustle   

v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌)

参考例句：

• It seems that he enjoys the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.看起来他似乎很喜欢大城市的热闹繁忙的生活。
• I had to hustle through the crowded street.我不得不挤过拥挤的街道。

4 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。

5 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

6 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

7 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

8 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

9 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

10 protocols   

n.礼仪( protocol的名词复数 )；（外交条约的）草案；（数据传递的）协议；科学实验报告（或计划）

参考例句：

• There are also protocols on the testing of nuclear weapons. 也有关于核武器试验的协议。 来自辞典例句
• Hardware components and software design of network transport protocols are separately introduced. 介绍系统硬件组成及网络传输协议的软件设计。 来自互联网

11 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》