In the 2012 presidential elections in the United States, Hispanics could play a larger role than ever in determining who will occupy the White House. They are the fastest growing voting group in the nation. Many Latinos are watching closely how the presidential candidates view the issue of immigration in the U.S. In California, legislators recently passed a law providing financial aid for students who are illegal immigrants.
美国2012年总统大选，拉美裔对于谁入主白宫可能有更大的决定力量。他们是美国成长最快的选民人口。许多拉美裔都在密切关注总统候选人如何看待美国的移民问题。加州最近通过了一项法律，为非法移民学生提供财政支援。
“I was born in Mexico, Jalisco. I came to the U.S. at the age of two,” said Nancy Meza, whose story is not uncommon. Her mother brought her to the U.S. to get an education.
南西.米扎说：“我在墨西哥哈利斯科出生，我两岁的时候来到美国。”南西.米扎的母亲将她带来美国受教育。
“Me and my mom came undocumented through the desert. I consider myself an American and all I’m missing is a piece of paper,” she said.
米扎说：“我和我妈妈没有合法身份，穿过沙漠来到美国。我认为自己是美国人，我只是少了那一张纸。”
Meza just graduated from the university and is considering either graduate or law school. Her plans just got a little easier a few months ago, when California passed the Dream Act, a law that makes students who are not in the U.S. legally eligible for financial aid at public universities within the state.
米扎刚从大学毕业，正在考虑念研究生院或法学院。她的计划在几个月前变得容易了些，因为加州几个月前通过了梦想法案，允许州内公立大学的非法移民学生有资格获得补助。
“Definitely the passage of the California Dream act opens up those doors for us to be able to compete. That’s what we’ve always wanted,” Meza said.
米扎说：“加州梦想法案的通过绝对为我们敞开了大门，让我们能够去争取我们一直以来想要的东西。”
An estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the U.S., of which two million are youth and students says Kent Wong, director of the University of California Los Angeles Labor Center. Only three states in the U.S. allow illegal immigrants to qualify for financial aid in state universities.
加州大学洛杉矶劳工中心主任黄道权说，据估计，居住在美国的非法移民总数高达一千一百多万。其中有两百万是青年或学生。在全美国，只有三个州准许非法移民在就读的州立大学里申请财务补助。
“These children broke no laws. They’ve done everything our society have asked them to do. They worked hard. They’ve studied hard. They’ve stayed in school. They’re entering college. and so we’re punishing them for something they have absolutely no control,” Wong said.
黄道权说：“这些孩子并没有触犯法律。他们做到我们社会要求的每一件事。他们勤劳，认真学习。他们一直上学读书。他们进入大学。而我们却为了一些与他们绝对无关的事惩罚他们。”
A Federal Dream Act failed in the Senate last year. It would have created a pathway to citizenship for qualifying illegal immigrants. Again, Kent Wong:
去年，联邦梦想法案在参议院表决失败。这项法案要求为符合规定的非法移民开创一条通往入籍的途径。
“The reality is that because the majority are from Latin America and Asia there is a strong reaction from older conservative white members of Congress who fear the integration of students of color within our society,” Wong said.
黄道权说：“事实是，因为大多数的非法移民都是来自拉丁美洲和亚洲。国会老一辈白人保守派的反弹非常强烈。他们不愿见到有色人种学生融入我们的社会。”
But Republican strategist, Luis Alvarado says the views of many Democrats and Republicans are not that different. He says many Republicans and Latinos prefer immigration reform to be on the national level because states such as California cannot afford to have their own immigration policy.
但是，共和党战略设计人路易斯·阿尔瓦拉多说，许多民主党和共和党人的看法并没有很大分歧。他说，很多共和党人和拉美裔都宁愿将移民改革问题放在国家层面上，因为各州，例如加利福尼亚，无力实施自己的移民政策。
“All you need to do is go to LA county hospitals emergency room and find out who is actually utilizing those services there it’s a reality that there is a burden placed upon society because this issue has not been resolved. A solution is very complex; the reality is we’re not going to have a solution until we actually find out who the next president of the United States is,” Alvarado said.
他说：“你们只要到洛杉矶郡医院的急诊室里看看，就会发现谁在使用这些服务设施。事实是，因为这个问题没有解决，这副重担就落到社会的肩上。解决方案会十分复杂。事实上，在我们知道下一任美国总统是谁之前，不会有解决办法的。”
Even among the Republican candidates, who want to run against President Obama in 2012, there are differences of opinion. Some say the solution is to build a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border while others want to find a way to give legal status to the illegal immigrants who are already in the U.S. Luis Alvarado says Republicans and Democrats need to work together and not delay any longer in finding a solution for immigration.
即使在争取于2012年和奥巴马决一雌雄的共和党总统参选人中间，对这个问题也持不同的意见。有人说，解决办法是在美国和墨西哥边界上修筑一道墙。另外又有人希望找出途径，给予已经在美国境内的非法移民合法居留的身份。阿尔瓦拉多说，共和党和民主党人必须共同努力，在非法移民问题获致解决之前，不要再拖延了。 |